Big Tech

Paul Romer: “If You Think Moderation is Censorship, You’ve Got a Competition Problem”

During a Stigler Center keynote webinar, Nobel laureate Paul Romer discussed concentration problems in the US and possible solutions, including a “pigouvian”...

The “Next Frontier of Propaganda”: Micro-Influencers are Paid to Spread Political Messages, Disinformation

Online influencers aren’t in the business of promoting just products anymore. New research finds that micro-influencers are increasingly used to spread political...

Digital Markets Act: Policy Choices and Conditions for Success

Last month, the European Commission introduced an ambitious new set of rules for digital platforms, the Digital Markets Act. Here is what...

The Silent Coup

President Donald Trump's seditious actions are exposing the political power that Twitter, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook enjoy. Banning him from their...

How Will the Digital Markets Act Regulate Big Tech?

While the recently introduced Digital Markets Act rules might change prior to final approval, there is a lot to consider already. What...

Why Isn’t the FTC Tackling Facebook’s Data-opoly?

Nothing in the FTC’s and states’ complaints’ prayer for relief seeks to give users greater control over their data, such as not...

“A Loaded Weapon”: Francis Fukuyama on the Political Power of Digital Platforms

In an interview with ProMarket, Francis Fukuyama discusses the political threat posed by digital platforms and why he believes a “middleware” solution...

Digital Platforms Should Contribute to the Enforcement of Sector-Specific Regulations

Tech companies often rely on the European Union’s outdated e-Commerce Directive to oppose and undermine new laws and regulations. The EU should...

How Does the House Antitrust Report on Digital Markets Compare to Others Around the World?

While the House Majority Report on digital platforms, published earlier this month, differs from other analyses both in terms of its structure...

Addictive Social Media: Why We Need Regulation and Competition for Digital Platforms

Social media is associated with the prevalence of mood disorders, depression, and anxiety. With no regulations to address the dangers of addictive...

Latest news

Creation over Time in Copyright and Patent

On May 18, the United States Supreme Court decided two intellectual property cases with two seemingly different results. A closer look, however, reveals a complimentary concern with the monopolistic power of first movers and how the legal system should enable innovation from second movers over time, writes Randy Picker.

ESG Standards’ Good, Bad and Ugly

The Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State hosted a virtual event discussing the standards, metrics and disclosures of investments focused on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. The following is a transcript of the event.

Reregulate.

Lee Hepner and William J. McGee respond to Clifford Winston’s ProMarket piece asserting that further deregulation of the airline industry would resolve problems in the industry. Instead, the authors claim a return to regulation would produce better results for travelers.

A World With Far Fewer Mergers

Brooke Fox and Walter Frick analyze research and ideas presented at the Stigler Center Antitrust and Competition Conference that question the value of mergers.

The Banking Risks of Central Bank Digital Currencies

The implementation of central bank digital currencies as the primary medium of exchange would exacerbate the flaws of our current fiat system which encourage banks to overextend credit and create liabilities that they cannot redeem. This will worsen the already recurring cycles of financial crises, writes Vibhu Vikramaditya.

The Whig History of the Merger Guidelines

A pervasive "Whig" view of United States antitrust history among scholars and practitioners celebrates the Merger Guidelines' implementation of increasingly sophisticated economic methods since their...

Algorithmic Collusion in the Housing Market

While the development of artificial intelligence has led to efficient business strategies, such as dynamic pricing, this new technology is vulnerable to collusion and consumer harm when companies share the same software through a central platform. Gabriele Bortolotti highlights the importance of antitrust enforcement in this domain for the second article in our series, using as a case study the RealPage class action lawsuit in the Seattle housing market.