Interview Series: How Incomplete is the Theory of the Firm?

"Current Populist Discontent Seems Mainly Driven by a Fear of Change and Uncertainty"

In the final installment of ProMarket’s interview series on the economic theory of the firm, we ask Princeton University professor Alan Blinder and University of...

“The Sense That the System Is Rigged Relates to Governments' Failure to Address Inequality and Concentration”

In this installment of ProMarket’s interview series on the economic theory of the firm, we ask Stanford professor Anat Admati about the role of corporations and governments...

"No Mistake About it: A Revolt Against Globalization is Underway!"

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series, Columbia Law School’s John C. Coffee Jr. shares some thoughts on political engagement by corporations. "Milton Friedman seems...

"Political Engagement by Corporations Derives from and is Focused on Seeking Monopolistic Power"

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series, Harvard Business School professor emeritus Joseph Bower shares some thoughts on rent-seeking, politics, and the role of corporations...

“So Long As Corporate Managers See Their Objective as Maximizing Returns, Rent-Seeking and Regulatory Capture Will Persist”

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series on the economic theory of the firm, Harvard Business School professor Lynn Paine discusses the role of corporations and...

“The Ability of Companies to Subvert the Operating Rules for the Market is a Deep, Systematic, Durable Force”

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series, we ask Harvard Business School professor Herman "Dutch" Leonard about the involvement of corporations in politics...

“Under President Trump and the Republican Congress, Banks Will Have Even More Ability to Write Regulations That Favor Them”

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series on the economic theory of the firm, we ask University of Connecticut law professor and blogger James Kwak if...

Bengt Holmstrom: "I'm More Concerned About the Economic Power of the Most Valuable Companies Than Their Political Power"

In this installment of ProMarket’s new interview series, Nobel laureate Bengt Holmstrom says “this may be the right time to look at political engagement...

“Political Engagement by Corporations Would Be Far Down the List of Forces Responsible for Popular Discontent”

The third installment in ProMarket’s new interview series on the economic theory of the firm. In this installment, we ask Chicago Booth’s Steven Kaplan...

Theory of the Firm Interview Series: John Van Reenen

The second installment in ProMarket’s new interview series: Should the economic theory of the firm be modified? If so, how? In this installment, we...

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.