Brian Albrecht

Minnesota

Economics Writer at Freelance

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

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Articles

Network Effects in FTC v Meta

1 week 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?

2 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:Recessions are painful times—job losses, shuttered businesses, and general hardship.
Tariffs Didn't Drive 19th Century Growth, They Won't Now

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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.

2 weeks 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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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.
Stop saying a value-added tax is an export subsidy

4 weeks ago | economicforces.xyz | Brian Albrecht

In a recent Financial Times opinion piece, Jason Cummins (Columbia Econ PhD đ©) argued that the Trump administration should impose a 25% tariff on European goods to offset an âunfair advantageâ from Europeâs Value-Added Tax (VAT) system. According to Cummins, European exporters like BMW enjoy an âimplicit subsidyâ when they receive VAT rebates on exports, while American companies like GM are disadvantaged when selling to Europe. This argument sounds logical on its surface.
Competition Confusion in the UK

1 month ago | truthonthemarket.com | Brian Albrecht |Mario Zúñiga |Daniel Gilman |Ben Sperry

UK Member of Parliament (former Conservative Party Cabinet Minister) Kit Malthouse published an essay in CapX earlier this month titled “We need a competition revolution.” I, of course, completely agree that competition is vitally important to any economy, and the UK has been struggling with productivity and growth challenges that may be linked to competition issues. But as I read Malthouse’s piece, I found myself increasingly disillusioned.
Prices Are Signals (and Politicians Keep Shooting the Messenger)

1 month ago | openlegalblogarchive.org | Brian Albrecht

Back in November, I outlined eight economic insights that matter for policy. I promised to explain them one by one. It’s taken me months to get to that—not because I forgot, but because this concept is a central part of the book I’m working on. I wanted to make sure I had all the parts lined up, all 5,000 words of them. This is the most central insight from economics, and every other one depends on understanding it:A price is a signal wrapped in an incentive.