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The Determinants of State-Level Antitrust Activity

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Abstract

While there has been a considerable literature exploring the determinants of antitrust enforcement in the United States, these studies have been based either on aggregate federal enforcement data over time (exploring cyclical influences) or cross-industry studies, usually for a single year or aggregated over several years. What has never been investigated is the pattern of state-level antitrust litigation. This is somewhat surprising, as this has been a major activity of many state attorneys general. In this paper, we explain state antitrust activity across states, examining a number of the economic and political determinants that have been proposed in the literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20016-8029, USA

    Robert M. Feinberg & Kara M. Reynolds

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  1. Robert M. Feinberg
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  2. Kara M. Reynolds
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Correspondence to Robert M. Feinberg.

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Feinberg, R.M., Reynolds, K.M. The Determinants of State-Level Antitrust Activity. Rev Ind Organ 37, 179–196 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-010-9264-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-010-9264-6

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