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The Rise And (Coming) Fall Of Efficiency As The Ruler Of Antitrust, Robert H. Lande

All Faculty Scholarship

The debate over the legitimate goals of antitrust is ceaseless and its practical resolution influenced by politics. The answer often given in the past, and particularly during the Warren Court era when a heavy emphasis was placed on social and political factors, contrasts sharply with the consensus view during the Reagan Administration that only economic efficiency counts. Since antitrust moves in cycles, a natural question arises—will antitrust continue to stand upon a foundation of efficiency, return to the old social and political perspective, or embrace some third view of its proper direction?