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The market power of monopolies can severely restrict citizens' freedom of choice. In the case of utilities, often portrayed as natural monopolies, such power may result in high prices and unreliable or absent services, especially in marginalized communities such as low-income neighborhoods or remote rural villages. While government regulation has been the traditional remedy to curb natural monopolies' power, in this paper, we address a different solution: monopoly bypassing through collective action. We present two types of monopoly bypassing—partial and complete—through the lens of civic wealth creation (CWC): the generation of social, economic, and communal endowments that benefit communities. Through our analysis of three water and sanitation utility services cases, we demonstrate how CWC is used to catalyze the collective action of engaged citizens to effectively bypass monopoly power. The cases highlight the three stakeholder categories involved in CWC initiatives—communities, enterprises, and regimes of support—and illustrate how they act collectively to provide credible market-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Mining Magazine is the property of China Mining Magazine Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Religion still has a great potential and perhaps even a monopoly on explaining life in terms of meaning and significance. In this paper, we argue that neither the development of science nor scientism poses a threat to religion. We suggest, however, that the political entanglement of religion may be a threat. In this paper, we discuss the paradoxical situation in which the political harm of religion is inextricably linked to its beneficial potential to give meaning and significance to life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual property is, from the perspective of economic theory, quite a stand-out. It retains the meritocratic particularities of material property – and, as such, advocating for its validity seems justified to many on the grounds that it helps the economic agent appropriate the benefits of his (in this case, intellectual) labour, while also being, in and of itself, immune to the scarcity which is inherent to "standard", material property and, therefore, to the so-called "natural laws" governing most laissez-faire moral convictions, seeming to be a rather positive construction instead. Such a peculiar set of attributes is bound to make this concept sensitive to both intellectual differences among its "scientific undertakers" and applicative disturbances. If the praxeological approach of some Austrian School economists, like Stephan Kinsella, renders intellectual property a monopolistic obstacle in the way of proper free market development, other advocates of laissez-faire economics, such as Ayn Rand, fully embrace the notion and even consider it the only valid form of private property in existence (material property being nothing more than one of its sub-categories). This paper features an exclusively theoretical, non-empirical methodological approach, its aim being to analyse the way in which three key psychoanalytical issues of "reflexivisation", present (also) in the field of economics, affect the concept of intellectual property. These issues are as follows: 1. How the economic agents who directly relate their (intellectual) activity to this concept risk altering some / all of the significance of its interpretative functions; 2. How the "grey area" specific to most "human rights" prevents the proper use of intellectual property rights and fuels the rhetoric used by its opponents; and 3. How some of the theoretical approaches advocating for / being against this concept are unknowingly driven by what psychoanalysis refers to as either neurosis (in the case of its advocates) or psychosis (mostly in the case of its opponents). The aimed result of this research is to provide a proper economic interpretation of the way in which the theoretical conceptual evolution of intellectual property may be affected by its very own "reflexivisation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the monopoly regulation literature with the Bayesian approach. The literature builds on Baron and Myerson's seminal 1982 paper, entitled "Regulating a Monopolist with Unknown Costs." After presenting their contributions to the regulation literature, the paper discusses the main criticisms of their model, relating to either informational or commitment assumptions about the Bayesian regulator. The paper also briefly reviews some non-Bayesian incentive schemes, price-cap regulation, and several extensions and applications of Baron and Myerson's regulatory model to highlight the evolution and scope of the new economics of regulation after 40 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retailers managing both online and offline channels have to decide whether to adopt the uniform (i.e., charging the same price online and offline) or dual (i.e., charging different prices online and offline) pricing strategy. This decision is made even more challenging as consumers are increasingly multirooming as they may search offline and then purchase online (showrooming) or the other way around (webrooming). In this paper, we develop an analytical model to examine such a decision. The model takes into consideration (1) consumers' uncertainty about digital and nondigital product attributes, (2) consumers' costs of showrooming as well as webrooming, and (3) the prevalence of costly product return. We show that uniform pricing can be optimal for a monopoly retailer even though consumers have different costs for shopping online versus offline and there is no intrinsic disutility against price discrimination by consumers. In addition, when the uniform price is optimal, it can be lower than both the offline and online prices under optimal dual pricing. This is because, compared with dual pricing, uniform pricing eliminates consumers' uncertainty about the offline store's price so that they are more likely to search the nondigital attribute at the offline store and buy the fitted product. Moreover, a relatively higher online price has to be used under dual pricing to encourage consumers to search offline for the purpose of reducing the product return costs. This paper was accepted by Dmitri Kuksov, marketing. Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71922008, 71972043, 72025102, and 72091211] and the Sci-Tech Innovation Foundation of School of Management at Fudan University [Grant 20210202]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4849. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing insights provided by the theory of monopolistic markets in economics and Great Power behaviour in the discipline of international relations, this paper aims to provide an alternative understanding of India's refusal to join the BRI beyond the immediate bilateral security, domestic politics, and economic considerations in Sino-Indian relations. We argue that BRI is an effort by China to position itself as the leading firm in the market for international development – a space for long dominated by Western development providers. The paper argues that India's efforts to contest the BRI can be seen as a natural outcome of other rising powers resisting China's efforts to monopolize the development market. In doing so, it provides a template of why rising powers compete with each other in providing developmental aid even when cooperation may create mutual benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has a long history of privately owned utility price regulation, one that is little known. This price control was designed to restrain the market power of several utilities (gas, rail, tramways, electricity, and water). The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to establish what types of price control that were used in Australia in the utilities sector before the First World War and to determine the degree to which this price control influenced efficiency. As price levels in this era were set in legislation, the lack of flexibility led to less-than-optimal outcomes, and eventually and led to new approaches were developed after 1912 to the utilities that remained in private ownership, and in some cases influenced the movement in Australia towards government control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho Privado (0123-4366) is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia, Departmento de Derecho Civil and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the central decades of the 19th century, Spain developed a banking system based on plurality of issuance. Various banks were authorized by the state to circulate their banknotes in their respective provinces. This process gave rise to a mosaic of issuing banks. Their existence facilitated the acceptance of banknotes, at the same time as these banks provided means of payment in the territories in which they operated. The effects were important both for the spread of the banknote and for the economy. This paper summarizes the Spanish issuing experience, which was affected by the crisis of 1866 and ended in 1874 with the issuing monopoly in the hands of the Banco de España. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris-Lyon line is the busiest High-Speed Line in Europe and has been open to competition in open access since December 18, 2021. The main objective of the paper is to explore the effects for users with respect to price and frequency compare with the existing literature. The analysis is based on a large database (n = 1243) collected by web scraping from September 2019 to October 2022. The method relies on a descriptive analysis with a similar route without competition (Paris-Bordeaux) in the comparison group. The results highlight an increase of frequency by 15% and a decrease in price by 23%. The prices charged by the newcomer are lower than those of the incumbent (−30% to −50%). The comparison with the control route suggests a positive effect on price that moderates the economic catch-up effect following the COVID-19 pandemic in an inflationary context. More specifically, SNCF appears to take a wait and see attitude to competitive pressure from Trenitalia. It has moderated its prices since the new offer was introduced and has maintained its trains. • Competition have a positive effect on user welfare. • Barriers to competition underscore the importance of public regulation for success. • Incumbent adopts a wait and see attitude in response to competitive pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1984, due to a US Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit, AT&T, the U.S. telecommunications monopoly, split into eight entities, including long-distance and local service providers known as Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). Vertical integration of suppliers typically benefits consumers by avoiding the issues associated with successive monopolies, where prices may be excessively high. The separation of long-distance and local services by the Department of Justice may seem counterintuitive, potentially driven by concerns over AT&T's size rather than economic rationale. This paper suggests that integrated monopolies have more willingness to build demand rigidity due to an absence of the free-riding problem, leading to higher prices. The implications extend to regulated firms and social media, highlighting the complexity of antitrust actions and their economic consequences on market dynamics and consumer welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the impact of anti-monopoly law on green innovation by analyzing data on 2539 manufacturing listed firms in China from 2003–2020. The empirical findings first show that implementation of the anti-monopoly law has a significant inhibitory effect on green technology innovation. Second, the inhibitory effect of the anti-monopoly law on green innovation mainly exists in state-owned monopolies and regions with a higher degree of marketization. Finally, the anti-monopoly law affects the green technological innovation of monopolies mainly by reducing monopoly power, strengthening financing constraints, and increasing business risks. The findings herein provide a valuable empirical basis for policymaking bureaus to improve anti-monopoly laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the price‐setting behavior of a monopoly facing two capacity constraints: one on the number of its consumers, and the other on the amount of products it can sell. The characterization of the firm's optimal pricing and optimal customer mix as a function of its two capacities reveals a rich structure. In contrast to the results under one‐dimensional capacity constraints with constant marginal cost of production, a firm may optimally respond to an exogenous reduction in one of its capacities by decreasing one of its prices. Moreover, neglecting the existence of the second capacity constraint can reverse some policy interventions' effects on consumer welfare. In particular, easing a regulatory restriction on one of the constraints may harm the average consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominance of modern rationality in knowledge production implies that the distribution of intellectual capital highly depends on the capacity to gather representative data and generate generalizable theses. Furthermore, as research becomes more formalized and dominated by large funding schemes, intellectual capital allocation is increasingly associated with high economic, labor force and institutional power. This phenomenon has consequences at the global level. As the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has documented, there are significant disparities between countries in research capacities, with a marked difference between "core" countries with semi-monopolies over sanctioned knowledge production and "peripheral" states primarily used as data mines. The core–periphery divide in research capacity brings about what decolonial theorists call knowledge abysses: the widespread idea that core countries are the ultimate knowledge producers and thus the legitimate guides in humanity's road to "progress." In that context, the democratization of knowledge and the prevention of neo-colonial dynamics require the development of cheaper and more accessible ways of collecting representative data. In this article, we make a call for innovations in methods that can serve to overcome this, and we illustrate possible avenues for achieving sound research without incurring high financial costs by describing and discussing our experiences in researching narco-violence in Colombia and prostitution in Russia with what we call the "taxi method." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside efforts to reduce carbon emissions, energy production and use took on new urgency last year, when Europe and other countries faced harsh realities regarding electricity availability and affordability; therefore, solutions are needed to avoid the consequences of the existing gas monopoly because electricity prices are directly correlated with gas prices. One possible alternative to solving this problem is to purchase sustainable electricity from countries with high potential to produce and sell electricity from renewable sources, such as Morocco. A detailed examination of the current situation and the mentioned potential above is required to find new solutions that can have significant political consequences. Publicly available secondary information and scientific literature were investigated to reflect the current situation; statistical information was collected and analyzed to find out the cases of energy transfer from Morocco to other countries; expert investigation was carried out to identify the specifics of problems related to renewable energy production and transmission to Europe. Actual cases of electricity transmission have been or are currently happening only between neighbouring countries Spain and Algeria. The electricity transmission with Algeria is interrupted due to political disagreements. Three future electricity transmission connections are planned: a substantial long-distance project - "Xlinks" with the UK; second, with Portugal, and discussions are underway regarding Mauritania. Morocco can become an essential actor by exporting electricity to Europe, considering its proximity to Spain and huge potential for solar and wind energy that can fulfil the needs of all of Europe. However, it is essential to pay attention; not only Europe but African countries are on the list of those who want to purchase Moroccan electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses economic growth, that economic growth does not only provide positive impacts but also negative impacts such as the existence of monopoly crimes that grow because unfair competition practices are based on tight business competition because they are required to increase profits as much as possible. The company PT. Charoen Pokphand Indonesia Tbk (CPIN) is indicated to have committed a monopoly violation in controlling food in the poultry sector in its business activities. The purpose of this study is that the government is expected to be truly present in trying, and anticipating, and or overcoming crimes in the field of monopoly practices and unfair business competition. Namely in overcoming the practice of controlling products from upstream to downstream, the authority in this case is the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU). This research method uses Normative Juridical analysis using secondary data with primary materials in the form of laws and expert opinions. The results of this study are that Business actors must implement Law No. 5 of 1999 Regarding Their Business Activities, and also the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) must take a legal approach to PT Charoen Pokphand Indonesia (CPIN). In this study it can be concluded that all independent farmers are in a very weak position. Because they do not have a bargaining position against suppliers who supply input components such as seeds, feed and medicine, and do not have bargaining power from the sales side, because the market is controlled by poultry integrators such as in this study PT. CPIN. So that monopoly practices occur in product control from upstream to downstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comparative Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This Article reviews two recent joint statements by the DOJ and FTC. The first was their request for information on their proposals to "strengthen" the antitrust laws on mergers. The second was the July 2023 release of new draft guidelines which were subject to many comments, often critical of the new regime. The difficulties with both documents start with the initial premise of their inquiries, which falsely posit that any "improvement" of the antitrust laws requires imposing new sanctions on private activities--when in many cases a relaxation of current restrictions may be best. But both agencies write as if the efficiencies inherent in many mergers are largely illusory. Consequently, they understate the social losses that come from blocking or modifying mergers under the Clayton Act. In addition, they underestimate the efficiencies of vertical mergers and overstate the risks of downstream foreclosure, as exemplified by the FTC's unwise attack on the Ilumina-Grail merger. Both documents also overstate the risk of monopoly power in labor markets, which bear little to no relationship to product markets. In light of their recent judicial defeats, both agencies should rethink their premature departure from traditional antitrust policies and redraft the proposed 2023 Guidelines from scratch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]