By Matthew Lane, Project DisCo
This year is a big election year, and antitrust has proven to be a surprisingly hot topic that could become a regular feature on the campaign trail. This likely means lots of antitrust policy discussion, but not necessarily technocratic antitrust discussion. These discussions will be dominated by political needs, and will focus on what antitrust should look like rather than what it currently is.
Antitrust policy discussions will also need to be simplified for non-experts. Antitrust policy is, at its core, a very simple idea. It’s about supporting competition by policing monopolistic and collusive practices. However, much of our modern thinking about antitrust takes into account the impact of counterintuitive results and unintentional consequences from under- or over-enforcement. These are harder to explain, they had to be learned over years of lessons from enforcement and advances in economic thinking. I expect that little of this nuance will come through in political discussions about antitrust. However, this simplified conversation will make it easier for what CCIA President Matt Schruers calls “swampetition”, or attempting to beat rivals through political influence rather than through the marketplace. We’ve already seen some evidence of this.
That is not to say that antitrust policy in 2020 will be bad, much can be gained from both healthy debate over core antitrust principles and simplifying ideas while retaining their essential values. However, the price of this healthy debate will likely be an increased risk of swampetition and unintended consequences.
In addition to this political focus, here are some other things to watch for in 2020.
Featured News
EU Extends Support for Farms and Fisheries Amid Market Disruptions
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Sony and Apollo Bid $26 Billion for Paramount Acquisition
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Goldman Sachs Resolves Decade-Old Metal-Rigging Class Action Lawsuit
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Italian Antitrust Ruling Puts Halt on Intesa Sanpaolo’s Fintech Ambitions
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Google Antitrust Case: Closing Arguments Conclude
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI