Are the Antitrust Laws an Effective Tool for American Economic Revitalization?

Abstract

This article examines the Reagan Administration proposal to improve the competitiveness of domestic industries in world markets by altering current United States antitrust laws. We argue that the proposal harms efforts to enforce meaningful antitrust statutes while simultaneously bringing no relief to the loss of domestic production and jobs. Despite certain connections, the issue of antitrust enforcement fundamentally differs from the issue of ensuring large scale domestic production. By confusing the two, the Administration has done a serious disservice to the debate on industrial policy.