Some Links
Are Rich People More (Or Less) Ethical? The Tacocopter (HT: MR) McCarran-Ferguson Repeal Update Etch-A-Sketch Stimulus
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
Holtz-Eakin & Smith on The Economics of ObamaCare
Douglas Holtz-Eakin and my former George Mason colleague and Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith are in the WSJ today discussing the economic wisdom and constitutionality of ObamaCare. From the WSJ: The Obama administration defends the mandate on the ground that a person’s decision to not buy health insurance affects commerce by materially increasing the costs of ... Holtz-Eakin & Smith on The Economics of ObamaCare
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
The DOJ’s Problematic Attack on Property Rights Through Merger Review
The DOJ’s recent press release on the Google/Motorola, Rockstar Bidco, and Apple/ Novell transactions struck me as a bit odd when I read it. As I’ve now had a bit of time to digest it, I’ve grown to really dislike it. For those who have not followed Jorge Contreras had an excellent summary of events ... The DOJ’s Problematic Attack on Property Rights Through Merger Review
Competition for Distribution, Search Engine Edition
A recent report notes that while Apple may be shifting away from Google Maps, Google remains the default search engine in Safari, and thus, remains the default search on a variety of Apple devices. Google competes vigorously for this right; indeed, competition among search engines drives the price paid to Apple for its ability to ... Competition for Distribution, Search Engine Edition
David Schleicher on City Unplanning
Forbes interviews my colleague and office neighbor David Schleicher on his new and very interesting paper, City Unplanning. This paper continues Schleicher’s interesting line of research on the law and economics of cities with a creative and powerful analysis of the political economy of zoning in big cites. Here’s a brief snippet from the start ... David Schleicher on City Unplanning
Greg Werden in Defense of Defining Markets
One of the more significant papers in antitrust of late has been Professor Kaplow’s Why (Ever) Define Markets? Kaplow provocatively argues that the entire “market definition/ market share” paradigm of antitrust is misguided and beyond repair. Kaplow describes the exclusive role of market definition in that paradigm as generating inferences about market power, argues that ... Greg Werden in Defense of Defining Markets
Federalist Society Event (March 14): Antitrust as Regulation?
You can register here. From the website description: The popular press is full of reports of a renewed vigor in parts of our antitrust enforcement regime that address the conduct of leading firms. Investigations have been started or rumored against any number of firms near or at the top of various parts of the technology ... Federalist Society Event (March 14): Antitrust as Regulation?
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 Economists Do
Courtesy of Greg Mankiw.
2012 GMU Law & Economics Center Workshop on Empirical Methods for Law Professors
May 21-25 the GMU LEC will be hosting its Workshop on Empirical Methods for Law Professors once again this year. Applications are available at the links below — and more information is available here. The Workshop on Empirical Methods for Law Professors is designed to teach law professors the conceptual and practical skills required to ... 2012 GMU Law & Economics Center Workshop on Empirical Methods for Law Professors
