Rent seeking

ProMarket Interview: Robert J. Shiller on Competition, Deception and Rent-Seeking

Yale economist and Nobel Prize Laureate Robert J. Shiller explains why competition in itself does not always weed out deception and rent-seeking. “Our free-market system...

Are We All Rent-Seeking Investors?

Has The Economist, the commentary magazine of the capitalistic global elite, embraced the corporate-bashing trend taken by many populist politicians in the U.S., U.K.,...

Putting the Client Last: A Former Investment Banker Explains How Clients are Being Systemically Sucker-Punched

“It is when our clients are the most fragile that we make the most money.” Part two in a series of columns by anonymous...

The True Price of Reduced Competition in Health Care: Hospital Monopolies Drastically Drive Up Prices

New study reveals the potential damage of the merger frenzy that has accelerated in recent years. Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law,...

Is Fraud in the Financial Sector a “Bug” or a “Feature”?

Study: 7 percent of financial advisers have misconduct records - 44 percent are hired within a year. A new paper by Mark Egan, Gregor Matvos...

Study: Politically Connected Private Equity Firms Hire More, Fire Less in Order to Help Incumbent Politicians

Private equity firms are not often associated with job gains. A new paper by Mara Faccio and Scott Hsu reveals the political dynamics that lead...

Latest news

Startup Acquisitions Have Undecided Effects on Innovation and Economic Growth

Startups are a major driver of innovation, but many startups are acquired by large incumbents. Do these acquisitions stifle innovation or promote...

History Shows that Voluntary ESG Standards Lead to a More Focused ESG Disclosure

In recent years, ESG reports have become more common for publicly traded companies. However, critics have found the information they provide to...

Letters that Matter: How Interest Groups Shape Financial Legislation

Members of Congress are inundated with an avalanche of correspondence on a daily basis. But what persuades them to heed the call?...

Are There Really Gender Pay Differences in the CEO Labor Market?

The gender pay gap is a well-documented phenomenon in global labor markets, but this gap does not seem to apply to the...

How Many Banks Are at Risk of Insolvency Right Now?

Given the recent banking turmoil and failure of SVB and Signature and issues in First Republic, it is important to understand the...

The Challenges of Regulating Disinformation

In response to rising concerns about political disinformation, governments have introduced a slew of interventions. Federico Vaccari warns in new research that...

India’s Evolving Industrial Policy Is Critical for Realizing Its Development Vision

Industrial policy was once so out of fashion that it was jokingly called “the policy that shall not be named.” Now it’s...