money in politics

“Democracy Is Influenced by Lobbyists, That’s Why the People Also Need Someone to Lobby for Them”

“Individuals usually don’t have enough incentive to take action, even though it is clear they will be collectively better off by taking action.” In...

The Populist Right Has a Plan to Take Power Away From Financiers and Challenge China

The nationalist rhetoric of the Trump administration can obscure a more sophisticated recognition by some people in the populist world that the core dynamic...

The World After Covid-19: Inequality Within Rich Countries Will Increase, Globalization Will Reverse, Politics Will Remain Turbulent

The negative effects of the crisis on growth will be very strong. But it will not affect everyone in the same way. If the...

How US Regulators Allowed Google and Facebook to Become Dominant

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority recently criticized Google and Facebook's excessive market power. American regulators, on the other hand, have allowed them to consolidate...

American Oligarch: Michael Bloomberg Reveals His One Remaining Path to the Democratic Nomination

Michael Bloomberg's only real path to the nomination was always a contested convention, where he could be able to further leverage his wealth and...

US Big Business vs China: How Monopolies Harm National Security

China’s goal is to concentrate power, both within China and over Western industrial commons. The best reaction is not to mimic Chinese autocratic control...

Who Won the South Carolina Democratic Debate? The ProMarket Panel's Analysis

Is Bernie Sanders inevitable, and is Michael Bloomberg doomed? Which candidate would be best suited to avoid a recession in the US? A ProMarket...

The SEC’s Shareholder Voting Reform Runs Counter to Attempts at Democratizing Corporate America

The SEC should drop its proposed changes or modify them so that they are less onerous and less damaging to the rights of shareholders...

The States Must Appeal the Decision to Allow the Sprint/T-Mobile Deal

A close review of the court ruling that approved the $26 billion mega-merger reveals a number of mistakes in Judge Victor Marrero’s reasoning, which...

With the Court Approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint Merger, the Dominant Doctrine in Antitrust Has Jumped the Shark

New York Judge Victor Marrero allowed two major mobile companies to merge in an already concentrated telecom industry, ensuring that prices will rise and...

LATEST NEWS

Why Have Uninsured Depositors Become De Facto Insured?

Due to a change in how the FDIC resolves failed banks, uninsured deposits have become de facto insured. Not only is this dangerous for risk in the banking system, it is not what Congress intends the FDIC to do, writes Michael Ohlrogge.

Merger Law Reaches Acquirer Incentives and Private Equity Strategies

Steven C. Salop argues that Section 7 of the Clayton Act prohibits mergers in which the acquiring firm’s unilateral incentives and business strategy are likely to lessen market competition.

Tim Wu Responds to Letter by Former Agency Chief Economists

Former special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy Tim Wu responds to the November 27 letter signed by former chief economists at the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department Antitrust Division calling for a separation of the legal and economic analysis in the draft Merger Guidelines.

Can the Public Moderate Social Media?

ProMarket student editor Surya Gowda reviews the arguments made by Paul Gowder in his new book, The Networked Leviathan: For Democratic Platforms.

Uninhibited Campaign Donations Risks Creating Oligarchy

In new research, Valentino Larcinese and Alberto Parmigiani find that the 1986 Reagan tax cuts led to greater campaign spending from wealthy individuals, who benefited the most from this policy. The authors argue that a very permissive system of political finance, combined with the erosion of tax progressivity, created the conditions for the mutual reinforcement of economic and political disparities. The result was an inequality spiral hardly compatible with democratic ideals.