Competition Law and Policy

Catalog description

The course is about how the United States maintains a competitive economy. It has long been a bedrock principle in the United States that a competitive economy benefits consumers (largely through lower prices for the things we buy) but recent years have seen a realization that a competitive economy benefits workers as well and serves to reduce, though not eliminate, the inequality that exists in our economy. The principal tool used to promote competition in the U.S. is the set of antitrust laws, originally passed in 1890, and manifestation of that tool is the large set of cases, with detailed opinions, that have resulted from the efforts to enforce those laws. The purpose of reading these opinions is not to memorize a set of rules but to see how the law is or should be applied in specific fact settings to promote consumer and worker welfare and potentially reduce inequality. The emphasis is less on the outcome of the cases than on the analysis (or lack thereof) that led to the outcome. Cross-listed Courses: COR 400 , COR 400A , COR 400B , COR 400C , COR 400E , COR 400G , COR 400H , COR 400I , COR 400J , COR 400K , COR 400M , COR 400S , COR 400Q , COR 400T , COR 400R , HON 480 , COR 400X , COR 400AB , COR 400W , COR 400BB , COR 400CB , COR 400DB , COR 400EB , COR 400FB , COR 400V , COR 400HA , COR 400GB , COR 400IA , COR 400Y , COR 400Z , COR 400BA , COR 400CA .