Complexity-Minded Antitrust

Abstract

Complexity science is widely used across the policy spectrum but not in antitrust. This is unfortunate. Complexity science enables a rich understanding of competition beyond the simplistic descriptions of markets and firms proposed by neoclassical models and their contemporary neo-Brandeisian critique. Many novel insights can be gained by supporting more openness to some of its key teachings, like feedback loops and the role of uncertainty. The present article lays down the building blocks of a complexity-minded antitrust method.

Keywords: Complexity theory, antitrust, evolutionary economics, feedback loop, uncertainty, nonlinearity, neoclassical economics

JEL Classification: K21, K20, K00, L12, L10, L13, L22, L40, L41, L44, L43, L50, L51, B40, D11, D42