What drives popular support for state-enforced competition policy? What is it about antitrust law that garners approval from both the public and courts, to the point of demonizing large firms convicted of antitrust offenses? In this book Adi Ayal argues that the populist roots of antitrust are still with us, guiding sentiment towards a legal regime that has otherwise shifted towards economic analysis. Antitrust is very much about fairness and morality; this book assesses how modern policy has hijacked popular support - based on traditional conceptions of political and economic power - to combat market power in narrowly defined micro-markets. Beginning with history, but delving into moral and political philosophy, Professor Ayal shows how arguments concerning fairness in antitrust apply both to monopolists and their victims. Fairness thus requires a balancing test based on context and respecting the rights of all parties involved. While traditionally fairness arguments were used to justify intervention where economic analysis did not, this book assesses them from first principles, to show that pure efficiency analysis is flawed from a moral standpoint when the state intervenes. Protecting weak consumers from strong monopolists may carry rhetorical weight, but the reality of antitrust is that the state is much more powerful than almost all firms it regulates. Protecting the strong from the weak, especially when 'weak' consumers hold legal power and influence, might very well be a moral imperative. This book offers a philosophical account of the conundrum facing competition policy which challenges widely-held yet often implicit and unfounded beliefs.

How substantive competition rules are enforced plays a crucial role in achieving their goals. This thoughtful book examines procedural issues that have arisen from the increased enforcement of competition law worldwide.

This book is a comparative reference on procedural fairness in global antitrust. It focuses on procedure at each stage of antitrust enforcement and considers how a lack of procedural fairness impairs competition law and policy, the benefits of embracing it, the case for establishing global best practices, and how this might be achieved.

The authors attempt to defend antitrust laws against the critics. After summarizing 15 years of court decisions, they conclude that the Sherman and Clayton Acts have not deviated from their historic and proper path.

Antitrust originated in popular resistance to 17th century Royal Grants and 19th century economic power. This article contends that much of the guiding force of today's antitrust policy stems from these early sentiments, applied to thoroughly different legal and economic circumstances. Specifically, 'monopolists' constrained by antitrust law are very different today from their historical counterparts, sharing a name but little else. Modern antitrust, with its focus on price-theoretic micro-models, treats all bearers of market power alike - despite markets being narrowly defined and economic and political effects differing greatly among them. Antitrust, as practiced today, infringes upon rights to property and freedom of contract and 'gets away with it' simply by defining those constrained as 'monopolists.' This article challenges the underlying assumptions that monopolists as such deserve no protection and that by mere virtue of their monopolistic status can be constrained whenever it is in society's (or consumers') interest to do so. Monopolists' potential claims are assessed, as well as counter-arguments to such claims, within the framework of Rawls' theory of justice and his 'veil of ignorance' thought experiment. These allow for going beyond current biases to examine what a just society would demand of its economic actors, and when justice demands protection of those limited by today's antitrust policy.

A guide to curbing monopoly power in stock markets Engaging and informative, Regulating Competition in Stock Markets skillfully analyzes the impact of the recent global financial crisis on health and happiness, and uses this opportunity to put regulatory systems in perspective. Happiness is lost because of emotional and physical health deterioration resulting from the crisis. Therefore, the authors conclude that financial crisis prevention should be the focus of public policy. This book is the most comprehensive study so far on potential risks to the stock market, especially various forms of market manipulation that lead to mania and eventual crisis. Based on litigation cases from international stock markets, and borrowing multidisciplinary findings in the fields of finance, economics, accounting, media studies, criminology, legal studies, psychology, and medicine, this book is the first to provide thorough micro-level regulatory proposals rooted in financial reality. By focusing on securities trading, they apply antitrust measures to limiting monopolistic power that is used for the manipulation of investors' perception and monopolistic profit. These proposals are quantifiable, adjustable, inexpensive, and can be easily implemented by any securities regulating agency for real-time oversight and daily operations. The recommendations found here are intended to improve the fairness and transparency of the financial markets, thereby perfecting the market competition, protecting investors, stabilizing the market, and preventing crises Explores how avoiding crises can to contribute to a more scientific, health aware, and civilized economic and social development Written by a team of authors who have extensive experience in this dynamic field, including Nobel Laureate Lawrence R. Klein Since the founding of the first, organized stock exchange in Amsterdam 400 years ago, no systematic economic research results on stock markets have been implemented in stock market regulation around the world. Regulating Competition in Stock Markets aims to fill this void.