Competition & Efficiency
Airline Oligopolies: Does the $22 vs $8 profit-per-passenger gap prove U.S. mergers were anti-consumer?
Your Airline Mileage may vary...
J/K - it's YES
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Defining the Buyer: In a simple "monopsony" model, who holds the power: the employer or the worker?
Employer
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The Law of One Price: Why do identical traded goods still vary in price between the U.S. and Europe?
Market Frictions
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Broadband Access: Is $80/mo internet a result of U.S. geography or a lack of local competition?
Lack of Competition
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The E.U. Model: How does a "supranational" body differ from a single-nation regulator like the FTC?
Independence
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Profit vs. Progress: High U.S. margins: do they indicate superior efficiency or a failure of competition?
Failure of Competition
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The 5% Drop: If U.S. labor share fell while Europe’s stayed flat, is "market power" the only culprit?
Mostly
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Market Signals: Do high prices in a sector signal a need for more supply or a "moat" protecting incumbents?
A "moat"
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The Intervention Tax: To what extent should the govt intervene when U.S. markups rise 14% over Europe's?
Significantly
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Global Neighbors: Which nations (Canada, Aus, Japan) offer the best "apples-to-apples" comparison for the U.S.?
The EU
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Barriers to Entry: How do high "fixed costs" in tech and airlines prevent new competitors from lowering prices?
Financial Hurdles
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Mobility & Monopsony: Does low geographic mobility in the U.S. increase an employer's monopsony power?
YES
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Non-Traded Goods: How do "haircut prices" reflect local economic health vs. globalized trade health?
Local Health
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The Regulation Paradox: Is "more regulation" actually required to achieve a truly "free market"?
Yes
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Social Safety Nets: How do different labor protections in Japan vs. the U.S. affect market "fluidity"?
...U.S. Lag
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Rent Seeking: When does a company stop "competing" and start "lobbying" to protect its market share?
Political Capture
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Productivity-Pay Gap: If productivity rises but labor share falls, where is the "missing" value going?
Corporate Profits
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Arbitrage Failures: Why doesn't "digital trade" force the Law of One Price onto intangible services?
Legal Barriers
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Antitrust Evolution: Should regulators focus on "Consumer Welfare" (low prices) or "Market Structure"?
Market Structure
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The "Laissez-Faire" Myth: Which "free" market actually relies on the most government-backed infrastructure?
The U.S.
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The End Game: Is the natural "end state" of a free market a monopoly unless the state intervenes?
Likely
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Capital vs. Labor: Does the rise of AI and automation make the "monopsony" problem permanent?
Potentially
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Price Discrimination: How do firms use "Big Data" to break the Law of One Price at the individual level?
Personalization
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Centralized Freedom: Can a "free market" exist without a centralized authority to enforce competition?
NO
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Sovereignty vs. Scale: Does the U.S. size make it "too big" to regulate as effectively as a European nation?
NO
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