The Influence of American Economists on the Clayton and Federal Trade Commission Acts

Abstract

Major concern over monopolies and trusts was one of the distinguishing marks of the American Economic Association from its foundation and lasted well into the early 1900s (Coats, 1960). The failed merger attempt of the Northern Securities Company and the subsequent panic of 1902–1903, the 1907 financial crisis and its aftermath, as well as the ostensibly illegal financial practices of many conglomerates, all contributed to keep the trusts issue alive on academic circles. But it was only after the 1911 Court decisions that the debate on the trust problem and the necessary measures to amend the existing antitrust legislation acquired new vigor and incisiveness.³

Citation

Fiorito, L. (2012), "The Influence of American Economists on the Clayton and Federal Trade Commission Acts", Biddle, J.E. and Emmett, R.B. (Ed.) Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: A Research Annual (Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology, Vol. 30 Part 1), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0743-4154(2012)000030A006