December 14, 2019

What if rising concentration were an indication of more competition, not less?

Geoffrey A. Manne

An oft-repeated claim of conferences, media, and left-wing think tanks is that lax antitrust enforcement has led to a substantial increase in concentration in the US economy of late, strangling…

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

December 12, 2019

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 2): Ignoring Google’s Competitors

Dirk Auer

This is the second in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision. It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 21, 2019

Private Antitrust: What Hipsters Can Learn from Hulk Hogan

Eric Fruits

The antitrust populist ranks are chock-a-block with economists, policy wonks, and go-getter attorneys. If they are so confident in their claims of rising concentration, bad behavior, and harm to consumers, suppliers, and workers, then they should put those ideas to the test with some slam dunk litigation.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 14, 2019

Making Sense of the Google Android Decision (part 1): Four Problems with the EU Commission’s Market Definition

Dirk Auer

This is the first in a series of TOTM blog posts discussing the Commission’s recently published Google Android decision. It draws on research from a soon-to-be published ICLE white paper.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 13, 2019

Economics is Dead. Long Live Economics! A Review of The Economists’ Hour

Ben Sperry

The central irony of the Economists’ Hour is that in criticizing the influence of economists over policy, Appelbaum engages in a great deal of economic speculation himself. Appelbaum would discard the opinions of economists in favor of “the lessons of history,” but all he is left with is unsupported economic reasoning.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 12, 2019

The Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

Eric Fruits & Geoffrey A. Manne

Read ICLE's study by Eric Fruits and Geoffrey A. Manne, "The Antitrust Risks of Four To Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger."

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 12, 2019

On the Antitrust Risks of Four to Three Mergers: A Case Study of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger

Eric Fruits & Geoffrey A. Manne

In anticipation of the long-rumored and much-discussed sale of ThyssenKrupp’s elevator business — the International Center for Law & Economics released "The Antitrust Risks of Four To Three Mergers: Heightened Scrutiny of a Potential ThyssenKrupp/Kone Merger," by Eric Fruits and Geoffrey A. Manne.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 22, 2019

Rising Concentration, Rising Prices: Not So Fast

Eric Fruits

Wall Street Journal commentator, Greg Ip, reviews Thomas Philippon’s forthcoming book, "The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up On Free Markets." Ip describes a “growing mountain” of research on industry concentration in the U.S. and reports that Philippon concludes competition has declined over time, harming U.S. consumers.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

October 16, 2019

Does Apple’s “Discrimination” Against Rival Apps in the App Store harm Consumers?

Ben Sperry

For most people, the word discrimination has a pejorative connotation of animus based upon prejudice ... but another definition is a lot less charged: the act of making or perceiving a difference.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection