A PYMNTS Company

Antitrust Populism

By  |  June 29, 2017

Posted by Social Science Research Network

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Antitrust Populism

    By Barak Orbach (University of Arizona)

    Abstract:      In antitrust literature, “populism” is typically associated with sympathy for small local businesses and fear of bigness. In other areas and everyday language, populism is understood as a political tool that is used to attack existing institutions and influential elites. With the rise of populism in the United States and around the world, this Essay questions and criticizes the antitrust tradition of equating populism with ideas that used to be influential decades ago. This approach effectively shields contemporary antitrust populists from the criticism and stigma that they deserve and, thus, empowers populist ideas that courts sometimes endorse. The Essay further explores the relationship of technological progress and antitrust populism. The Essay argues that courts and agencies should make effort to reduce the influence of populism on antitrust law and policy.

    Continue Reading…