Louis Brandeis - Founding Father of Modern-Day Antitrust?

Journal title HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT AND POLICY
Author/s Manuel Wörsdörfer
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2023/1
Language English Pages 39 P. 5-43 File size 166 KB
DOI 10.3280/SPE2023-001001
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The recent ‘big tech and antitrust’ discourse in the U.S. and abroad is primarily dominated by references to Louis D. Brandeis and the so-called New Brandeis move- ment, also known as ‘hipster antitrust.’ While it is laudable that many researchers - and politicians - acknowledge and recognize the work of Brandeis, it is also a missed opportunity to refer to him en passant and not investigate his socio-political philos- ophy in more depth. This paper attempts to fill this gap in the academic literature and evaluate Brandeis’ achievements and (theoretical) shortcomings from a history of economic and legal thought perspective. It does so by taking a closer look at the life and work of Brandeis and analyzing his socio-economic and legal philosophy. Furthermore, the paper addresses the question of which lessons can be drawn from his work and how it could inspire today’s political discourse(s).

Keywords: Louis D. Brandeis, New Brandeis Movement, Antitrust, Competition Law/Policy, ‘Curse of Bigness’.

Jel codes: B3, K2, P0

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Manuel Wörsdörfer, Louis Brandeis - Founding Father of Modern-Day Antitrust? in "HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT AND POLICY" 1/2023, pp 5-43, DOI: 10.3280/SPE2023-001001