Economist's emphasis on empirical evidence and
economic theory stands in contrast to outgoing Commissioner
Rosch's more litigation-oriented approach.
President Barack Obama has nominated Joshua Wright to serve a
seven-year term on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or the
Commission). Wright would replace Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch,
whose term will expire at the end of September. Although both
Wright and Rosch are Republicans, the change in the composition of
the Commission could affect the number and type of enforcement
actions that the FTC initiates.
Wright, who is a professor at George Mason University School of
Law, holds both a Ph.D. in economics and a J.D. As an economist, he
has been identified as a member of the "Chicago School."
Chicago School economists believe that over-enforcement of the
antitrust laws can do the economy more harm than good and therefore
the government should only initiate an enforcement action when
anticompetitive effects are clear.
