Past Learnings
Commercial Society and its Internal Enemies – A Smithian Synopsis
In this new piece in our Past Learnings Series, George Yarrow discusses the publicly perceived “untrustworthiness” of politicians
July 4, 2025
Competition
Insights into Regulation
On tariffs and tanks – M. Bastiat vs. Mr Trump
Scaling geologic time to (say) one year, homo sapiens has existed for less than an hour. In that twinkling of an eye, we have developed some capacity for foresight – an enormous evolutionary leap in one of nature’s creatures.
February 13, 2025
Past Learnings
The Economists’ Onion
This piece in the Past Learnings Series is based on a hitherto unpublished internal Regulatory Policy Institute Paper dating from 2012.
August 7, 2024
Past Learnings
Why competition? 250 years of learning and forgetting in Political Economy
The notion that promoting competition is a Good Thing has become a consistent theme in economic policymaking in recent decades, accompanied by an implication that “the more of it the better” should be a presumptive policy stance. In contrast, very many members of the public appear to find these propositions far from obvious, not least those who are owners of, or workers for, business enterprises.
June 17, 2024
Past Learnings
Fairness, the Ultimatum Game and Public Policy
The notion of ‘fairness’ is widely referenced in public policymaking and enforcement, but with no settled meaning. What we see is incoherent application of the notion across economic contexts, a form of policy disorder with which we are well familiar. Moreover, the disorder (‘entropy’) appears to be increasing over time.
June 17, 2024
Documents
Regulation and competition with captive customers
Delivered as part of ‘The discovery, assessment and use of evidence in regulatory and competition law decision making’, Annual Competition and Regulation Conference 2018
October 24, 2018
Materials from Conferences
Cognitive biases in the discovery and assessment of evidence in competition law cases
Delivered as part of ‘The discovery, assessment and use of evidence in regulatory and competition law decision making’, Annual Competition and Regulation Conference 2018
September 25, 2018
Documents
September 26, 2017
Materials from Conferences
Digital markets and new challenges
Delivered as part of ‘In a period of great disturbance and volatility’, Annual Competition and Regulation Conference 2017
September 26, 2017
Documents
Pandora’s box of online ills: We should turn to technology and market driven solutions before imposing regulation or using competition law
Delivered as part of ‘In a period of great disturbance and volatility’, Annual Competition and Regulation Conference 2017
September 26, 2017