The origins of the antitrust movement

An Interest-Group Perspective

Authors

  • Joao Felipe Rodrigues Lanza Museu Ferroviario Paulista
  • Thomas J. DiLorenzo Loyola University Maryland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30800/mises.2019.v7.1177

Keywords:

Antitrust, Regulation, Competition, Monopoly

Abstract

Several contemporary studies have highlighted the need to introduce competition in the transport, energy industries, as well as other markets held to be natural monopolies due to the inefficiency generated by government-regulated monopolies. However, little has been studied on the consequences of the regulation known as antitrust law; it dates back to a protectionist political process from the late 19th century, which laid the foundations for most government regulation on several industries accused of monopoly practices. The present article has studied the origins of the antitrust movement as a political initiative, analyzed the evidences of the industries accused of monopolization, and has proven the research hypothesis that antitrust
laws and their derivatives have actually restricted competition more than improved market performance by correcting alleged “market failures”.

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Published

2019-08-19

How to Cite

1.
Lanza JFR, DiLorenzo TJ. The origins of the antitrust movement: An Interest-Group Perspective. MisesJournal [Internet]. 2019 Aug. 19 [cited 2024 Dec. 10];7(2). Available from: https://revistamises.org.br/misesjournal/article/view/1177