Competition Law for a Post-Scarcity World

Authors

Salil K. Mehra, Temple University, Beasley School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Writers, economists and IP scholars have hailed signs of an incipient shift to a post-scarcity world. Driving this change are rapid decreases not only in marginal cost, but also in the fixed or first-unit costs of production. Whether these changes become economy-wide, or remain confined to a subset of industries, they have dramatic implications for competition law and policy. This Article is the first to address these implications. In particular, because of the incentive for incumbent firms to engage in what may be termed “anti-disruption” – as examples such as the Apple/e-books antitrust case and the regulatory responses to Uber show – competition law must play an active role in assisting the transition to a post-scarcity world. Playing this role will not be simple, but the welfare gains of this societal shift make it impossible to ignore.

DOI

10.37419/LR.V4.I1.1

First Page

1

Last Page

39

Recommended Citation

Salil K. Mehra, Competition Law for a Post-Scarcity World, 4 Tex. A&M L. Rev. 1 (2016).