Searching for a Rationale for Search Design Policy

Abstract

This paper concurs in the debate about search design and the antitrust action that the European Commission is bringing against Google in Europe. Faced with the radical changes that the internet has brought to markets and social life, antitrust principles and paradigm of analysis are still be applied as if we were dealing in a world of brick-and-mortar assets. We provide arguments to support a different view, proposing a consistent framework of analysis that considers all the relevant dimensions of Google’s search strategies and their evaluation in light of current European policies on market regulation, particularly antitrust.

Keywords: Search design, search neutrality, Google, Antitrust, Europe

JEL Classification: K21, L40