Showing results for: “price gouging”
Kevin Murphy models the stimulus–and the results aren't pretty
A great video from the University of Chicago here with comments from John Huizinga, Kevin Murphy and Robert Lucas. John Huizinga also wonders if we’re calculating the costs. Robert Lucas is skeptical. But Kevin Murphy’s discussion is (not surprisingly) worth the price of admission (I only wish the video showed the slides). He puts some ... Kevin Murphy models the stimulus–and the results aren't pretty
George W. Bush's stinky parting gift
Bush has proved himself to be a statist, protectionist ignoramus on many occasions. But this, one of his final acts in office, is simply appalling: People in the southern French district of Lozeyron are having a hard time swallowing US President George W. Bush’s parting gift: a tripling to 300 percent in import duty on ... George W. Bush's stinky parting gift
What One Article Should Obama Read Tonight?
Imagine what must be going through President-elect Barack Obama’s head today. Tomorrow he begins what must be the most stressful job on the planet (just look at before-and-after pictures of Presidents Clinton and Bush, both of whom appeared to age decades in only eight years). He’s just come off a love-fest featuring the likes of ... What One Article Should Obama Read Tonight?
Kiesling on Sunstein, OIRA and Nudging
A post that everybody should read over at Knowledge Problem in which Lynne Kiesling moves from behavioral economics to the design of fixed price default contracts in electricity markets to a Hayekian critique of the Sunstein-Thaler libertarian paternalist program to the following closing paragraph: In devising OIRA policy I’d like to hear Sunstein invoke another ... Kiesling on Sunstein, OIRA and Nudging
Should the Supreme Court Grant Cert in Rambus (Revisited, and Cross-Posted at Patently-O)
[Rutgers Professor Michael Carrier recently posted as a guest at Patently-O arguing in favor of the FTC’s position in Rambus and the Supreme Court granting certiorari. I thought Professor Crouch might be interested in sharing with his readers a different perspective on the merits of the FTC’s petition for cert in Rambus sketched out in ... Should the Supreme Court Grant Cert in Rambus (Revisited, and Cross-Posted at Patently-O)
Disgorgement and Damages in Ovation
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog discussing the FTC’s complaint against Ovation. One of the interesting factors of that complaint was the FTC’s decision to seek disgorgement of profits allegedly improperly gained as a result of the challenged acquisition. The FTC has only infrequently sought disgorgement in antitrust matters and it is ... Disgorgement and Damages in Ovation
Is Antitrust Too Complicated for Generalist Judges?
One of the highlights of my recent time as Scholar in Residence at the Federal Trade Commission was the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds around on antitrust issues on investigations and policy projects as well some academic projects. The subject of this post is one of those academic projects. Motivated by ... Is Antitrust Too Complicated for Generalist Judges?
Caplan on the Law as a Phony Discipline
Bryan Caplan writes: At risk of offending my many friends in the legal academy, I think that law is a shockingly phony discipline. Virtually everyone – liberal, conservative, Marxist, libertarian, or whatever – imagines that the law conveniently agrees with what they favor on non-legal grounds. Almost no one admits that many, if not most, ... Caplan on the Law as a Phony Discipline
Economic Issues in the Ovation Complaint
On December 16, 2008, the FTC filed a complaint against Ovation Pharmaceuticals that challenged its 2006 acquisition of the drug Neoprofen from Abbott. (The acquisition had fallen beneath the HSR thresholds and thus was not subject to an HSR investigation prior to consummation). While the complaint and case itself raises some interesting issues which I ... Economic Issues in the Ovation Complaint
Top Ten Antitrust Articles of 2008
Its the time for end of the year lists. In conjunction with Danny Sokol’s survey of nominations for article of the year in 2008 (here are last year’s entries and here’s my list of the top 10 from last year), and without further ado, here are my personal, idiosyncratic, completely non-scientifically derived top 10 antitrust ... Top Ten Antitrust Articles of 2008
Presenting Complex Economic Theories to Judges
This fascinating OECD document compiling submissions on the topic is a gold mine of observations on purported best practices for presenting economic testimony to judges and issues facing competition authorities and judges deciding complex antitrust cases on the basis of complex economic evidence. Here is one excerpt from the U.S. submission that caught my eye: ... Presenting Complex Economic Theories to Judges
DOJ Files Another Section 2 Case
Press release here. Here’s an excerpt: The complaint alleges that post-acquisition Microsemi raised prices significantly on small signal transistors certified by the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), a component of the DOD, at the Joint Army-Navy Technical Exchange-Visual Inspection (JANTXV) and Joint Army-Navy Space (JANS) levels of reliability on its qualified manufacturers list or QML. ... DOJ Files Another Section 2 Case
