Assessing the Quality of Competition Policy: The Case of Horizontal Merger Enforcement
William Kovacic, Apr 30, 2009
This article suggests how a jurisdiction might best go about evaluating the quality of its competition policy system. It urges that competition agencies and collateral institutions strive to improve our ability to measure the economic effects of merger control and to verify the consequences of different approaches to enforcement. The article uses merger control in the United States as its main illustration, but the article´s observations apply to other areas of competition policy oversight, as well. The article seeks to encourage the recent trend within the global competition policy community of accepting a norm that focuses greater attention on the evaluation of the economic effects of enforcement decisions especially by developing better quantitative measures of actual economic effects and the assessment of the processes by which competition agencies examine individual transactions.
Featured News
Tyson, Cargill Challenge Class-Action Ruling in Cattle Price-Fixing Case
Oct 13, 2026 by
CPI
Kimberly-Clark’s $40 Billion Kenvue Takeover Clears EU Antitrust Review
Oct 13, 2026 by
CPI
Debevoise Strengthens Washington Team With Senior DOJ Hire
Oct 13, 2026 by
CPI
Mexico Moves Toward Airline Mega-Merger With Limited Restrictions
Oct 13, 2026 by
CPI
Microsoft President Says UK Is Best Placed to Lead AI Regulation
Oct 13, 2026 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – National Security
Sep 22, 2026 by
CPI
National Security in U.S. Antitrust Enforcement: Toward a More Disciplined Framework
Sep 22, 2026 by
Rod Rosenstein & Timothy Finley
The Department of War’s M&A Review Guidance: What Companies in the Defense Industry Need to Know
Sep 22, 2026 by
Eric Stocking & Paul Ney
National Security, Resilience and the Boundaries of Merger Control
Sep 22, 2026 by
Beatriz Marques
National Security and Competition: Building Resilient Telecommunications Networks
Sep 22, 2026 by
Roslyn Layton