Showing results for: “e-books”
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Competition on layaway fees Price discrimination over restaurant reservation times (HT: NY Times) Steve Calabresi & Larissa Price on the history of government granted monopolies and the constitution A settlement in the EU E-books investigation?
Bryan Caplan and the National Review on 100 Years of Milton Friedman
Here. The most interesting part is Caplan’s take on why it is Friedman stands apart from other free-market thinkers: Why does Friedman stand apart from my other idols? In the end, it’s the absence of obscurantism. Friedman makes his points as simply, clearly, and bluntly as possible. He never rambles on. He never hides behind ... Bryan Caplan and the National Review on 100 Years of Milton Friedman
Apple Responds to the DOJ e-Books Complaint
Apple has filed its response to the DOJ Complaint in the e-books case. Here is the first paragraph of the Answer: The Government’s Complaint against Apple is fundamentally flawed as a matter of fact and law. Apple has not “conspired” with anyone, was not aware of any alleged “conspiracy” by others, and never “fixed prices.” ... Apple Responds to the DOJ e-Books Complaint
Hating Capitalism
One topic that has long interested me is the source of dislike or hatred of capitalism; my Southern Economics Journal article “Folk Economics” (ungated version) dealt in part with this topic. Today’s New York Times has an op-ed, “Capitalists and Other Psychopaths” by William Deresiewicz, who has taught English at Yale and Columbia, that both ... Hating Capitalism
How Well Do Incentive Programs in the Workplace Work?
WSJ has an interesting story about the growing number of employer efforts to import “game” like competitions in the workplace to provide incentives for employees to engage in various healthy activities. Some of these ideas sound in the behavioral economics literature, e.g. choice architecture or otherwise harnessing the power of non-standard preferences with a variety ... How Well Do Incentive Programs in the Workplace Work?
The procompetitive story that could undermine the DOJ’s e-books antitrust case against Apple
Did Apple conspire with e-book publishers to raise e-book prices? That’s what DOJ argues in a lawsuit filed yesterday. But does that violate the antitrust laws? Not necessarily—and even if it does, perhaps it shouldn’t. Antitrust’s sole goal is maximizing consumer welfare. While that generally means antitrust regulators should focus on lower prices, the situation is more ... The procompetitive story that could undermine the DOJ’s e-books antitrust case against Apple
DOJ’s Latest on Apple Investigation
From the WSJ: Publishers argue that the agency model promotes competition by allowing more booksellers to thrive. They say Amazon had sold e-books below cost and that agency pricing saved book publishers from the fate suffered by record companies. But the Justice Department believes it has a strong case that Apple and the five publishers ... DOJ’s Latest on Apple Investigation
The Apple E-Book Kerfuffle Meets Alfred Marshall’s Principles of Economics
From a pure antitrust perspective, the real story behind the DOJ’s Apple e-book investigation is the Division’s deep commitment to the view that Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) clauses are anticompetitive (see also here), no doubt spurred on at least in part by Chief Economist Fiona Scott-Morton’s interesting work on the topic. Of course, there are other important ... The Apple E-Book Kerfuffle Meets Alfred Marshall’s Principles of Economics
Local Barriers to Entry: Arlington Beer Garden Edition
Last week I posted about the regulatory barriers facing an ice cream shop in San Francisco. A student passes along a story that hits a bit closer to home: the sale of beer right here in Arlington County. Apparently, the owner of the Westover Beer Garden has had enough: It’s been a contentious couple of ... Local Barriers to Entry: Arlington Beer Garden Edition
What if the Government Ordered the Human Rights Campaign to Cover Conversion Therapy for Gays?
A thought experiment: It’s late January 2016. Newt Gingrich is President. The House of Representatives is solidly Republican, and there’s a slight Republican majority in the Senate. Because Republicans lack a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) remains on the books. (The reconciliation process, which allowed the law to be ... What if the Government Ordered the Human Rights Campaign to Cover Conversion Therapy for Gays?
Remembering Larry Ribstein
I was terribly saddened and, quite frankly, dumbfounded when I heard that Larry Ribstein had passed away. I had seen Larry approximately three weeks before when he gave a workshop at Yale and the last thought that would have crossed my mind would have been that I would be receiving such horrible news. At the ... Remembering Larry Ribstein
Best Antitrust Articles and Books of 2011
Danny Sokol posted some nominations for best Antitrust Article from a variety of antitrust experts. I was supposed to include my nomination for that list but missed the deadline. Turns out my draft list doesn’t have much overlap with the articles nominated over there, so I figured I’d share my whole list here with all ... Best Antitrust Articles and Books of 2011
