Brian Albrecht

Minnesota

Economics Writer at Freelance

Applied economic theorist: competition and information. Chief Economist @LawEconCenter 📝Price Theory Newsletter https://t.co/1S7TB6ANUP

Featured in: Favicon

substack.com (+1) Favicon

telegraph.co.uk Favicon

wiley.com

plos.org

usnews.com Favicon

apnews.com Favicon

thehill.com Favicon

seekingalpha.com Favicon

startribune.com Favicon

tandfonline.com + 51 more

Articles

Yes, Econ 101 is underrated.

1 week ago | economicforces.xyz | Brian Albrecht
When Do Rent Controls Help Renters?

2 weeks ago | truthonthemarket.com | Brian Albrecht

Imagine you’re a renter in a city where housing costs are sky-high. When the city council passes a rent-control law capping rents below the market rate, it feels like a victory. Finally, some relief! Indeed, the first people to benefit are those lucky tenants whose rents are now frozen or reduced. But fast forward a bit: apartment hunting becomes an ordeal. Vacant units are almost impossible to find, maintenance of older buildings slips, and new construction slows to a crawl.
When do rent controls help renters?

3 weeks ago | economicforces.xyz | Brian Albrecht

You are reading Economic Forces, a free weekly newsletter on economics, especially price theory, without the politics. Economic Forces arrives weekly in the inboxes of over 19,000 subscribers. You can support our newsletter by sharing this free post or becoming a paid subscriber:Imagine you’re a renter in a city where housing costs are sky-high. When the city council passes a rent control law capping rents below the market rate, it feels like a victory.
Network Effects in FTC v Meta

4 weeks ago | truthonthemarket.com | Brian Albrecht |Alden Abbott |Eric Fruits

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ongoing antitrust case against Meta has brought network effects into the spotlight, as the agency’s complaint and opening statement both lean heavily on networks as a source of competitive harm. But the commission’s arguments fundamentally misunderstand how network effects interact with competition in digital markets. Far from being solely anticompetitive moats, network effects create nuanced competitive dynamics that the FTC fails to acknowledge.
Will a recession raise productivity?

1 month ago | economicforces.xyz | Brian Albrecht

You are reading Economic Forces, a free weekly newsletter on economics, especially price theory, without the politics. Economic Forces arrives weekly in the inboxes of over 19,000 subscribers. You can support our newsletter by sharing this free post or becoming a paid subscriber:Recessions are painful times—job losses, shuttered businesses, and general hardship.
Tariffs Didn't Drive 19th Century Growth, They Won't Now

1 month ago | realclearmarkets.com | Brian Albrecht

We and our partners store and/or access information on a deviceWe and our partners process personal data such as IP address, unique ID, browsing data for: Use limited data to select advertising Create profiles for personalised advertising Use profiles to select personalised advertising Create profiles to personalise content Use profiles to select personalised content Measure advertising performance Measure content performance Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data...
Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Boost U.S. Manufacturing

1 month ago | city-journal.org | Brian Albrecht

President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs--and his promised trade agenda—draw partly from a narrative popular among protectionists. In this telling, high tariffs fueled America’s nineteenth-century industrial rise. Tariff-supporters like Oren Cass have argued that the United States “transformed from colonial backwater to continent-spanning industrial colossus” behind protective barriers. Economic research suggests otherwise.
High tariffs didn't make the U.S. rich in the 19th century. They won't this time.

1 month ago | economicforces.xyz | Brian Albrecht

So…. tariffs are back in the news. Did you hear? On Wednesday, Trump launched his “Liberation Day” tariffs with rates that would make William McKinley blush. I started drafting a response but realized I’d be contributing to the overwhelming flood of instant reactions. Instead of hot-taking Trump’s move (my general stance isn’t exactly a secret), I thought I’d finish up a related newsletter I had been working on where I answer the questions.
The Android Auto Decision and the European Antitrust Paradox

1 month ago | truthonthemarket.com | Mario Zúñiga |Daniel Gilman |Brian Albrecht |Eric Fruits

The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) Android Auto judgment, delivered in late February, could mark a radical shift in how courts interpret the European Union’s essential-facilities doctrine, as well as the legal standard applied to “refusal to deal” cases. My colleague Giuseppe Colangelo has a great working paper analyzing the decision and its potential consequences.
Termination Tuesday: A Quasi-Comprehensive, Quasi-Definitive Discussion of the FTC and Humphrey’s Executor

1 month ago | truthonthemarket.com | Daniel Gilman |Brian Albrecht |Eric Fruits |Joe Sims

Author’s Note: Sometimes “quasi” means “sort of” or, as Merriam-Webster’s would have it, “having some resemblance usually by possession of certain attributes.” And sometimes, “some resemblance” means “not very much.”On March 18, President Donald Trump fired—or purported to fire—the two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter. Bedoya promptly tweeted that he’d been “illegally” fired.