David Strömberg
Media
e-Autocracy: How Social Media Helps the Chinese State Surveil Protests and Spread Propaganda
The Chinese government has invested heavily in surveillance systems that exploit information on social media. This column shows that these systems are very effective,...
Latest news
Antitrust and Competition
Why Privacy Experts Need a Place at the Antitrust Table
Antitrust enforcers have tended to stay narrowly “in their lane,” failing to engage with how data is collected and used by digital...
News
Assessing George Stigler’s Economic Theory of Regulation
Despite its flaws and limitations, Stigler’s seminal article on the theory of economic regulation remains an important piece of scholarship worthy of...
Economic History Series
“Old Chicago” and Freiburg: Why Ordoliberalism Was No “German Oddity”
Both the Chicago and Freiburg schools faced systemic fragility as the crucial property of societal orders. It was this fragility that served...
Commentary
The Many Faces of Stigler’s Theory of Economic Regulation: Interest Group Politics Still Thrives—But Industry Often Comes Second
Stigler treats industry groups as the heavyweights in regulatory contests. But surprisingly often groups of farmers and workers knock them for a...
Antitrust and Competition
Why the FTC Should Consider Size in Drug Mergers
Large pharmaceutical firms retain their dominance through size-related advantages in three areas: contracting, marketing and selling, and financing. When reviewing pharmaceutical mergers,...
Antitrust and Competition
In FTC vs. Facebook, the Government Lost the First Round. It Could Still Win the Fight.
Despite some compelling allegations, a federal judge dismissed the FTC's antitrust complaint against Facebook due to the agency’s failure to explain how...
Antitrust and Competition
A New Antitrust Under Biden? Lessons From the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
The early history of the Sherman Antitrust Act offers relevant insights to contemporary debates on how to best enforce antitrust laws. In...
