Showing results for: “price gouging”
A Quick Assessment of the FCC’s Appalling Staff Report on the AT&T Merger
As everyone knows by now, AT&T’s proposed merger with T-Mobile has hit a bureaucratic snag at the FCC. The remarkable decision to refer the merger to the Commission’s Administrative Law Judge (in an effort to derail the deal) and the public release of the FCC staff’s internal, draft report are problematic and poorly considered. But ... A Quick Assessment of the FCC’s Appalling Staff Report on the AT&T Merger
Are You Plane Rich? An Example of Marginal Analysis
I just returned from a long weekend in the Caribbean, attempting to recreate the scenery of (and a few scenes from) The Bachelor. Given the ubiquity of Wi-Fi coverage, I was able to stay connected with my favorite newspapers and magazines: iPhone in one hand, Mojito in the other. Just as I was feeling like ... Are You Plane Rich? An Example of Marginal Analysis
Kahneman’s Time Interview Fails to Allay Concerns About Behavioral Law and Economics
TOTM alumnus Todd Henderson recently pointed me to a short, ten-question interview Time Magazine conducted with Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman. Prof. Kahneman is a founding father of behavioral economics, which rejects the rational choice model of human behavior (i.e., humans are rational self-interest maximizers) in favor of a more complicated model that incorporates a number ... Kahneman’s Time Interview Fails to Allay Concerns About Behavioral Law and Economics
In re Pool Corporation: Yet Another Peculiar and Peverse Section 5 Consent from the FTC
TOTM readers know that I’ve long been skeptical of claims that expansive use of Section 5 of the FTC Act will prove productive for consumers. I’ve been critical of recent applications of Section 5 such as Intel and N-Data. Now comes yet another FTC consent decree in PoolCorp. I’m still skeptical. Indeed, PoolCorp appears to ... In re Pool Corporation: Yet Another Peculiar and Peverse Section 5 Consent from the FTC
The NYT on law teaching
The NYT brings another David Segal story on legal education. Today’s sermon: law schools don’t teach “lawyering.” Boiling away the overheated journalism, here’s the indictment: Law profs are richly paid for writing mostly useless law review articles rather than “the essential how-tos of daily practice.” Students study cases about contract law but not contracts. Clinics ... The NYT on law teaching
Privacy Again
Today’s Wall Street Journal has a long article-debate on privacy. The strongest pro-privacy is Christopher Soghoian of the Open Society Institute. He confuses commercial privacy with government privacy: “The dirty secret of the Web is that the “free” content and services that consumers enjoy come with a hidden price: their own private data. Many of ... Privacy Again
The NYT on Romney @ Bain
A long front page article in today’s NYT tries to make political hay out of Romney’s time at private equity firm Bain Capital. The article supports the White House’s efforts to, as the article says, “frame Mr. Romney’s record at Bain as evidence that he would pursue slash and burn economics and that his business ... The NYT on Romney @ Bain
A financial perspective on the legal education market
Today’s WSJ offers an interesting perspective on the law school cost/student debt debate: from the folks who invest in student loans. According to the article, these guys say: Law school * * * can end up a sucker’s bet in periods of high unemployment U.S. has far more law schools than other professional schools, resulting ... A financial perspective on the legal education market
Iowa University Prediction Markets
These things continue to fascinate me and provide lots of opportunity for procrastination. The Iowa University Prediction Market IEM has a new update on the Republican presidential primary: Romney Leads the Iowa Electronic Markets October 26, 2011 | The Iowa Independent by: Lynda Waddington The value of the former Massachusetts governor continues to rise above ... Iowa University Prediction Markets
Was the Whirlpool/Maytag Merger Anticompetitive After All?
One of the most controversial merger policy decisions during the Bush administration was the DOJ’s failure to bring a complaint against the Whirlpool/Maytag merger. Indeed, the decision was even criticized by Carl Shapiro, the economic expert retained by the DOJ on the case. Jonathan Baker and Carl Shapiro summarize this conclusion as follows: “The March ... Was the Whirlpool/Maytag Merger Anticompetitive After All?
Welcome Baby 7B!
According to the United Nations, sometime around Halloween a newborn baby will push the world’s population above seven billion people. Welcome to our spectacular planet, Little One! I should warn you that not everyone will greet your arrival as enthusiastically as I. A great many smart folks on our planet—especially highly educated people in rich ... Welcome Baby 7B!
Debunking the New York Times Editorial on Wireless Competition
Yesterday, the editorial page of the New York Times opined that wireless consumers needed “more protection” than that afforded by voluntary agreements by the carriers and existing regulation. The essay pointed to the “troublesome pricing practices that have flourished” in the industry, including Verizon’s alleged billing errors, as the basis for stepped up enforcement. As ... Debunking the New York Times Editorial on Wireless Competition
