Antimonopoly and American Democracy

An essential guide to the history of the fight against monopoly in the United States, this remarkable book reveals that from the Boston Tea Party to today, the battle against monopoly has been a battle for freedom. * Luigi Zingales, Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, University of Chicago Booth School of Business *
Antimonopoly and American Democracy is a scholarly, eminently readable, and wide-ranging treatment of Americans' understanding of the monopoly problem from the late-eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Its authors treat various markets and technologies, and from disciplines that are not limited to economics. In particular, this book addresses the heavy presence of antimonopoly rhetoric in the development of corporate law, antitrust, the law of regulated industries, and related concerns about federalism and international relations. An outstanding list of contributors explores these topics from every angle, emphasizing the extent to which monopoly was perceived as a threat to equality, economic participation and opportunity, and democracy itself. * Herbert Hovenkamp, James G. Dinan University Professor, University of Pennsylvania *
This volume is a welcome addition to the study of monopolies and economic dominance in the United States. It appears at a time when political leaders and ordinary citizens across the political spectrum are concerned with the influence that businesses, specifically Big Tech, wield in society. Specifically, the contributors to this edited collection seek to answer how and to what degree corporate consolidation undermines democracy. Contributors to this study seek to improve decision-making and provide vital historical information for debates on American anti-monopoly policy... The authors and directors of this project succeeded in their goal. This book raises pertinent questions about the current state of anti-monopoly and American democracy. * Choice *