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Economy See other Economy Articles Title: To Antitrust Enforcers, Consumers Are Irrelevant
Source:
The Hoover Institution
URL Source: https://www.hoover.org/research/ant ... rcers-consumers-are-irrelevant
Published: Sep 20, 2023
Author: David R. Henderson
Post Date: 2023-09-20 21:52:59 by Charles_Byrd
Keywords: None Views: 62
Is antitrust enforcement good per se, no matter what its effect on consumers? Reading an August 26 New York Times editorial, one could easily conclude that the Times editors think so. Indeed, the content of the editorial is in tension with the editorials title. The title is Americans Pay a Price for Corporate Consolidation. You might think on that basis that the editors would point out how consolidation of corporations would create market power, causing consumers to pay higher prices. But you would be wrong. The editors explicitly reject the idea of judging mergers by their effects on consumers. There are powerful forces arrayed on their side, specifically the head of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Kahn, and the head of the Department of Justices Antitrust Division, Jonathan Kanter. If Kahn, Kanter, and the Times editors get their way on enforcement of current law, the odds are high that we consumers will be worse off. Click for Full Text! Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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