READING LISTS

Late last year, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (along with dozens of states attorneys general) filed landmark antitrust cases against Google and Facebook for anticompetitive tactics. Will these lawsuits succeed? What are the potential consequences? Catch up on ProMarket's coverage of the ongoing antirust cases against Big Tech.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

Americans spend significantly more on health care than any other country. Why? Answers to this question range from hospital monopolies to perverse incentives to opaque pricing to medical licensing to pharmaceutical firms abusing IP practices to “creeping consolidation.” Why is the US health care system so broken? And what can antirust do about it? Catch-up on our coverage of antitrust and the US health care system.

Is Private Equity’s Involvement in Healthcare Really Harmful?

Anthony T. LoSasso, Ge Bai, and Lawton Robert Burns argue that critics of private equity’s involvement in healthcare ignore that it is often the only financial lifeline available to distressed healthcare providers and can introduce an improvement in outcomes, including quality of care.

How Private Equity Hurts the Healthcare Workforce

Theodosia Stavroulaki reviews how the involvement of private equity in American healthcare leads to, among other negative outcomes, burnout and stress among healthcare workers, particularly physicians. She writes that the consequences could cripple America’s healthcare system.

Does Private Equity Harm the Welfare of Residents in Nursing Homes?

Robert I. Field argues that private equity’s impact on price competition among nursing homes is limited because prices are mostly determined by Medicaid. However, private equity does impact quality and labor outcomes, which deserve greater government scrutiny.

Does Private Equity Harm Competition in the Hospital Industry?

Brent Fulton discusses private equity’s investments in hospitals and assesses the risks it presents to key stakeholders: private equity investors, debt investors, patients, and the government. He argues financial transparency regulation is needed so fraudulent transfer and bankruptcy laws can be enforced to reduce uncompensated risk being borne by patients and the government (ultimately taxpayers).

George J. Stigler, one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1982 “for his seminal studies of industrial structures, functioning of markets, and causes and effects of public regulation.” His research upended the idea that government regulation was effective at correcting private-market failures. Stigler introduced the idea of regulatory capture, in which regulators could be dominated by special interests. These regulators would work for the benefit of large, monied organizations rather than the public good. Catch up on ProMarket's coverage of his legacy.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

As tech companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Twitter grew so did their influence over the US economy and politics. Are these companies too large to regulate? Should we break them up? Where do we go from here? Catch up on ProMarket‘s coverage on the political power of Big Tech.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

In November 2020, Joe Biden was elected to be the 46th President of the United States. What will his presidency look like? What issues will his administration tackle? Catch up on ProMarket's coverage of the Biden presidency.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, which was enacted in 1996 before Google, Facebook and Twitter were founded, is often referred to as the 26-words that created the internet. It reads: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” Recently, it has come under scrutiny from President Donald Trump, the FCC, the US Congress, and even President-elect Joe Biden, who previously said it should be revoked “immediately”. Catch up on ProMarket’s coverage of what’s next for Section 230.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis and the ensuing global outrage, an unprecedented focus on the causes of police violence and misconduct has emerged. Should the police be “defunded,” as many protesters demand, or should US law enforcement reformed in other ways? ProMarket investigates.

How Financial Contracting Could Help the Police Force Manage Its Aims More Effectively

Hamid Mehran proposes funded deferred pay, an incentive structure to mitigate the risk and costs of police misconduct. To be sure, police are doing a...

“Drive and Wave”: In Response to 1998 Police Reform, LAPD Officers Disengaged from Policing

A new paper documents how LAPD officers responded to two police reforms—one in 1998 and one in late 2002. It finds that when public...

Police Stops of Black Drivers Increase Following Trump Rallies, New Study Suggests 

A new study looks into how Trump's 2016 presidential campaign affected police behavior toward Black Americans and finds that the probability that a Black...

Prison Labor Can Create Perverse Incentives for Incarceration and Reduce Trust in Legal Institutions

Government proponents of prison labor should be mindful of the potential for negative effects, including increased incarceration rates and citizens’ deteriorating views on state...

What will be the impact of Covid-19 on the US and global economies? While it’s too early to make reliable predictions, it is clear that the crisis, which caused the bigger global recession on record and placed more than one-third of the world’s population on lockdown, will reshape every aspect of society. Catch up on ProMarket’s coverage of the coronavirus and its impact on politics and the world's economies.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

Alesina was born in Broni, Pavia, Italy. Alesina obtained his undergraduate degree in economics from Bocconi University. From 2003–2006, Alesina served as Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard. He was the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard. He visited several institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tel Aviv University, University of Stockholm, The World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2006, Alesina participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions project.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

Aaron Director, one of the founders of the so-called Chicago School of Law and Economics, died on September 11, 2004. To mark the 15th anniversary of his death, ProMarket is published a series of articles on his work and intellectual legacy.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.

Starting in 2004, a small number of intercontinental carriers recaptured control of industry oversight in Washington and Brussels, reversed thirty years of successful pro-consumer and pro-competitive aviation policies, and converted the world’s most important markets from robust competition to a permanent oligopoly/cartel of Too Big To Fail airlines. That consolidation movement undermined many of the mechanisms that had allowed the industry to restructure after past crises, and it is difficult to see how those mechanisms could rapidly be restored in order to help cope with today’s Coronavirus much larger crisis.

Assessing the Technical Feasibility of a Google Chrome Divestiture

In a new report, Eric Rescorla and Alissa Cooper analyze how Google’s browser, Chrome, could operate successfully as an independent entity if the court presiding over Google Search orders its divestiture.

The House Budget Bill Is One Big Beautiful Boon for Code Cartels

Meher Sethi argues that a little-noticed provision in the federal budget recently passed by the House will gut state laws protecting consumers from algorithmic price-fixing.

Brazil’s Efforts To Address Election Disinformation Illustrate the Difficulties of Protecting the Marketplace of Ideas

Caio Mario S. Pereira Neto reflects on the discussions at the Stigler Center’s 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference and addresses the problems that confront Brazil’s courts as they navigate the tradeoffs between removing disinformation that threatens electoral integrity and observing constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

A Pro-Competitive Handbook for Policymakers to Unlock Digital Competition

Fiona Scott Morton introduces her new book on how regulators and policymakers can promote competition and fairness in digital markets.