Showing results for: “price gouging”
The death of the billable hour?
Jay Shepherd writing on ATL thinks the billable hour is “a dying business model. . . because it focuses on selling the wrong thing. * * * [N]o client in the history of the planet has ever wanted to buy time. * * * It’s what you can do for them during that time.” Shepherd ... The death of the billable hour?
Shocked: Gasoline Prices Vary Edition
From the Attorney General’s Memorandum to the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (HT: Michael Giberson, who is a must read on all issues oil and energy related: Based upon our work and research to date, it is evident that there are regional differences in gasoline prices, as well as differences in the statutory and other ... Shocked: Gasoline Prices Vary Edition
Into Eternity
One of the ways I celebrated my birthday yesterday in Chicago was seeing a movie in the afternoon(!) at the Siskel Center. The film is Into Eternity. Here’s the setup: Finland has nuclear waste which can be dangerous to humans for 100,000 years. So they’ve decided to bury in a way that it will ... Into Eternity
Sacrificing Consumer Welfare in the Search Bias Debate
Eric Clemons and Nehal Madhani have a posted a series of short blog posts on the Huffington Post focusing on Google, antitrust, and more specifically, vertical integration and search (Part I, Part II, and Part III). The articles contain much of the standard hand-wringing about vertical integration and its impact on consumer welfare. This is ... Sacrificing Consumer Welfare in the Search Bias Debate
Nashville Limo Regulation
Just got an email from Mark Meranta (who I do not know) from the Institute of Justice (which I do know and which does great work) on a new case they are filing in Nashville regarding anti-competitive regulation of the limousine industry (video here. ) The law apparently mandates a minimum price for limo service ... Nashville Limo Regulation
China land and bachelors
The New York Times has an interesting story about land markets in China. In order to get married a man needs to own property and land prices are very high in China. As it its habit, the Times blames “overeager developers who force residents out of old neighborhoods.” In fact, the Times gets it backwards. ... China land and bachelors
Declaring Victory or Premature Celebration?
Russell Korobkin (UCLA) provocatively declares the ultimate victory of behavioral law and economics over neoclassical economics: I am declaring victory in the battle for the methodological soul of the law and economics discipline. There is no need to continue to pursue the debate between behavioralists (that is, proponents of incorporating insights previously limited to the ... Declaring Victory or Premature Celebration?
Net Neutrality, the MetroPCS Complaint, and Low-Income Consumers
I blogged a bit about the MetroPCS net neutrality complaint a few weeks ago. The complaint, you may recall, targeted the MetroPCS menu of packages and pricing offered to its consumers. The idea that MetroPCS, about one-tenth the size of Verizon, has market power is nonsense. As my colleague Tom Hazlett explains, restrictions on MetroPCS ... Net Neutrality, the MetroPCS Complaint, and Low-Income Consumers
Municipal extortion and full employment for lawyers
Consider this a venting, especially as one of the few non-lawyers in our blogging group. Recently one of my lawyer friends posted a Facebook status as “Amending moving violations and saving clients on their insurance” at the local municipal court. This post reminded me of one of my less-than-enjoyable encounters with the Missouri traffic court ... Municipal extortion and full employment for lawyers
Scalping Next
So Alinea’s Grant Achatz has a new restaurant, Next, which is the talk of Chicago and the nation. You can buy transferable dining tickets which the NYT reports are being traded online up to $3,000. So now we see that even chefs can be like Hannah Montana. Alinea caps sales at two tables/customer given a ... Scalping Next
Pioneers of Law and Economics Available in Paperback
Pioneers of Law and Economics (with Lloyd Cohen) is now available in paperback. You can get it for 20% off the cover price at the link above (discounted price = $36). There are essays focusing on: Ronald Coase, Aaron Director, George Stigler, Armen Alchian, Harold Demsetz, Benjamin Klein, James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock, Henry Manne, Richard ... Pioneers of Law and Economics Available in Paperback
Type I errors in action, Google edition
Does anyone really still believe that the threat of antitrust enforcement doesn’t lead to undesirable caution on the part of potential defendants? Whatever you may think of the merits of the Google/ITA merger (and obviously I suspect the merits cut in favor of the merger), there can be no doubt that restraining Google’s (and other ... Type I errors in action, Google edition
