Tag: Competition

The alleged success of the British mobile phone auctions in raising revenue for the government poses many questions about the desirability of licences and auctions in general. John's article examines the underlying logic of auctions and suggests that the current enthusiasm may be misguided

The recent difficulties faced by Railtrack and other utilities raises fundamental questions about how to achieve low prices and high safety standards. It may be necessary to look for new kinds of public-private partnerships and new ways of combining competition and regulation to achieve the best outcomes. This article provides a framework for thinking about these issues.

Industry - and the consumer - are seldom well-served by the relationship between regulators and monopolies. Competition where possible: regulation only where necessary is a useful maxim.

In business as in sport, the prizes allotted to winners and runners-up are often out of all proportion to the differences between them.

Traditional boundaries around companies and industries are dissolving. But this does not mean that we live in a world without boundaries.

As Microsoft faces being broken up, Bill Gates should take heart from the lesson of history: the biggest beneficiaries of anti-trust break-ups have often been the companies being "punished".

There are many things wrong with British banks, but contrary to the Cruickshank Report, the fact that they make profits is not one of them.

“Rip-Off Britain” has turned into a damp squib. Economists are unlikely to be surprised.

The Beer Orders proposed greater competition in the brewing industry. The results surprised them, but competition sometimes benefits customers in unexpected ways.

A flavour of John's forthcoming book, 'The Truth About Markets'.