The Political Economy of "Truth-in-Advertising" Regulation During the Progressive Era
39 Pages Posted: 24 Jul 2006 Last revised: 5 Aug 2022
Date Written: January 2006
Abstract
This paper explores the origins and impact of "truth-in-advertising" regulation during the Progressive era. Was advertising regulation adopted in response to rent-seeking on the part of firms who sought to limit the availability of advertising as a competitive device? Or was advertising regulation desired because it furnished a mechanism through which firms could improve the credibility of advertising? We find the available qualitative and quantitative evidence to be more consistent with the latter hypothesis.
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