“Neither economists nor engineers can decide the most efficient size of a firm in any situation. Only the entrepreneurs themselves can determine what size of firm will operate most efficiently, and it is presumptuous and unwarranted for economists or for any other outside observers to attempt to dictate otherwise.”
--Murray N. Rothbard
Man, Economy, and State 1993 [1962]; Auburn: The Mises Institute, p. 574
“The question to be decided is: Who should determine the size of the enterprises, the consumers by their striving to buy what suits them best or the politicians who know only how to tax away and to spend?”
--Ludwig von Mises
Big and Small Business (full text) from Economic Freedom and Interventionism.
The links below are internal to Mises.org:
SHORTER ARTICLES
- It’s true the Gates is like Rockefeller: both were unjustly persecuted by antitrust laws, says Thomas DiLorenzo.
- An extended interview with antitrust economist, Dominick T. Armentano
- A definitive article by D.T. Armentano.
- Read excerpts from the Preface to the best book on Microsoft and antitrust generally.
- Winners, Losers, and Microsoft: a review of the Liebowitz-Margolis book by Timothy Terrell.
- The Truth About Sherman: A historical reconstruction by Thomas J. DiLorenzo.
- Microsoft as an example of one of many regulatory attacks on the market: a speech by Thomas DiLorenzo
- Microsoft stands accused of predatory behavior, but the regulators are using a strange definition which they should apply to themselves.
- The Japanese FTC used kid gloves but still attacked the foundation of market competition, say Shegeki Kusunoki.
- Drawing an analogy between the attack on Microsoft and punishment of economic crimes in the Soviet Union.
- The fallacies of attempting to discover monopoly by means of number crunching.
- The fallacies of attempting to discover monopoly by means of static analysis.
- Investors Business Daily on Microsoft.
- Forget Microsoft: government is the real monopolist.
- George Reisman on why Microsoft is not a monopolist.
- Tom DiLorenzo on The Joys of Bundling.
- In Praise of Computer Bugs
- Superior technology does win out in the market process
- Why the Justice Department is Piling on Microsoft.
- The hounding of Microsoft has been going on for many years: an early critique.
- Applying anitrust to the market for women’s shoes
- A debate between Netscape lawyer Robert Bork and Michael Kinsley.
SCHOLARLY ARTICLES (.pdf)
- “Monopoly Prices” by Ludwig von Mises
- “Competition versus Monopoly: Combines Policy in Perspective” by Roger Arnold
- “Antitrust Reform: Predatory Practices and the Competitive Process” by Dominick T. Armentano
- “Austrian Monopoly Theory: A Critique” by Walter Block
- “The Protectionist Roots of Antitrust” by Donald J. Boudreaux and Thomas J. DiLorenzo
- “Cartels as Efficient Productive Structures” by Pascal Salin
- “Economic Calculation and the Limits of Organization” by Peter G. Klein
- TEXT: The complete guide to monopoly and competition from the Austrian Study Guide
OUTSIDE LINKS
- George Reisman: A Brief for Microsoft
- The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Antitrust page
- The Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism
- Microsoft and Liberty, a column by Lew Rockwell. Or in Portugese.
- Judge Jackson’s Findings of Fact.
Note: The Mises Institute possesses no particular devotion to Microsoft as a firm, and has never received any financial contributions from the Microsoft corporation or foundation. If Linux or some other operating system were to displace Microsoft in a free-market process, that result too would be the one consistent with economic liberty. It is the market process itself, and not any particular participant in it, that is worthy of defense.
