The American Express Case: Public Good or Monopoly?

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Date
1975-01-27
Authors
O'Driscoll, Gerald
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Economics

The Department of Economic Science was founded in 1898 to teach economic theory as a truth of industrial life, and was very much concerned with applying economics to business and industry, particularly agriculture. Between 1910 and 1967 it showed the growing influence of other social studies, such as sociology, history, and political science. Today it encompasses the majors of Agricultural Business (preparing for agricultural finance and management), Business Economics, and Economics (for advanced studies in business or economics or for careers in financing, management, insurance, etc).

History
The Department of Economic Science was founded in 1898 under the Division of Industrial Science (later College of Liberal Arts and Sciences); it became co-directed by the Division of Agriculture in 1919. In 1910 it became the Department of Economics and Political Science. In 1913 it became the Department of Applied Economics and Social Science; in 1924 it became the Department of Economics, History, and Sociology; in 1931 it became the Department of Economics and Sociology. In 1967 it became the Department of Economics, and in 2007 it became co-directed by the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Business.

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1898–present

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  • Department of Economic Science (1898–1910)
  • Department of Economics and Political Science (1910-1913)
  • Department of Applied Economics and Social Science (1913–1924)
  • Department of Economics, History and Sociology (1924–1931)
  • Department of Economics and Sociology (1931–1967)

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Economics
Abstract

On February 20, 1974 a civil complaint for declarative and injunctlve relief was filed by Consumers Union and one Linda Blitz against the American Express Company and the U.S. Shoe Retail Corporation under section 1 of the Sherman Act.^ American Express and U.S. Shoe Retail were charged with being in restraint of trade. Specifically the companies were charged with being parties to a "restrictive contract", which "eliminates price competition in the sale of goods and services to cash customers and credit card customers...", and with imposing a tie in sale. Both activities are viewed in the law as being in restraint of trade. The provision of the contract to which objection was made read as follows:

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