Background
Price fixing refers to an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand. It is considered as an antitrust violation in many legal systems.
Historical Context
Throughout history, numerous instances of price fixing have been documented, going back to early marketplaces and trade guilds. Modern antitrust laws, such as the Sherman Antitrust Act in the United States enacted in 1890, were designed to combat such practices to ensure fair competition in the market.
Definitions and Concepts
- Price Fixing: An illegal agreement between competitors to fix prices.
- Collusion: Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy to deceive others, often associated with price fixing.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economists view price fixing as a hindrance to the natural equilibrium of supply and demand and detrimental to resource allocation efficiency.
Neoclassical Economics
Neoclassical theories emphasize the importance of perfect competition, which price fixing clearly undermines. Neoclassical models consider price fixing as reducing consumer welfare and leading to deadweight loss.
Keynesian Economics
While abstract from specific microeconomic behaviors like price fixing, Keynesian economics would note the inefficiency and misallocation of resources resulting from such anticompetitive behavior.
Marxian Economics
From a Marxian perspective, price fixing can be seen as a form of monopoly capitalism. It reflects the manipulation of markets by powerful capitalist entities at the expense of the proletariat.
Institutional Economics
Institutional economists might focus on the role that both formal institutions (like regulatory bodies) and informal institutions (like business norms) play in preventing or facilitating price fixing.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics might examine how biases and heuristics among consumers and firms might facilitate tacit price fixing without explicit agreements.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesians would analyze the influence of price fixing on market power and its implications for income distribution and economic instability.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists argue against price controls and regulatory interventions but also criticize price fixing for its distorting effects on the market’s price discovering system.
Development Economics
Price fixing in developing economies can severely undermine economic development, often exacerbating inequality by allowing dominant firms to exploit the market.
Monetarism
While monetarists focus primarily on controlling the money supply, they would recognize the negative impact of price fixing on the market’s response to monetary policy.
Comparative Analysis
Price fixing is universally recognized as anti-competitive across different schools of economic thought, though the rationale and remedies may vary. Where Neoclassical economists focus on consumer welfare and deadweight losses, Institutional economists look at how governance structures mitigate price-fixing tendencies.
Case Studies
- The Lysine Price-Fixing Conspiracy: In the mid-1990s, several major agribusiness companies conspired to fix prices of lysine, leading to significant penalties and changes in corporate practices.
- EU Fines Truck Cartel: In 2016, the European Commission fined several truck manufacturers a total of €2.93 billion for price fixing over a 14-year period.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “An Introduction to Antitrust Law & Policy” by Frank H. Easterbrook
- “Economics of Regulation and Antitrust” by W. Kip Viscusi, John M. Vernon, and Joseph E. Harrington Jr.
- “Competition Policy: Theory and Practice” by Massimo Motta
Related Terms with Definitions
- Cartel: A group of independent businesses, firms, or countries that work together to control prices and production to maximize profits collectively.
- Antitrust Laws: Regulations that promote competition and prohibit monopolistic business practices.
- Collusion: A secret or unlawful collaboration between parties to deceive others, usually in financial and market contexts.
