American Antitrust Theory and Policy

Author: Xing Hai Xiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book, except for the preface, is divided into three parts: Part one provides a general introduction to the historical development and evolution of the theoretical foundations of U.S. antitrust policy. Chapter 1 reviews the origins and early history of U.S. antitrust policy. Chapter 2 elaborates on the three important stages of U.S. antitrust policy since the mid-20th century, a period when the role of economic theory began to truly play a part and deepen. This chapter will focus on analyzing the overall impact of three theoretical schools, particularly the new industrial organization theory, preparing the theoretical framework for a more detailed analysis in the third part. Chapter 3, based on the historical evolution study in the previous chapters, summarizes the value orientation of U.S. antitrust policy and points out the internal conflicts in efficiency analysis and the trade-offs that policy authorities need to make. The second part is a substantive study of the policy, analyzing each specific area from the perspectives of historical development and theoretical comparison. This includes market power and its measurement, corporate collusion, vertical restraints, predatory pricing, and corporate merger control, which are found in Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. The third part summarizes and evaluates the characteristics of U.S. antitrust policy based on the previous analysis and emphasizes that as a means, the important role economic analysis plays in U.S. antitrust policy reflects the U.S. policy authorities' pursuit of the value goal of efficiency. Then, based on an analysis of China's special national conditions, it points out the U.S. antitrust