Wenonah Hauter — The Elephants in the Room: Citizens United, Trade and Corporate Ownership of Our Natural Resources Read more at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/04/the-elephants-in-the-room-citizens-united-trade-and-corporate-ownership-of-our-natural-resources

Yves here. This is a short but useful reminder of how the failure to enforce anti-trust laws leads to oligopolies. MBAs are taught how to make markets inefficient to increase corporate profits, and one of the most lasting ways is to achieve a dominant position, ideally in a concentrated industry. “Roll ups” which is a consolidation play, is a favorite among private equity firms (but they often stumble in integrating the companies).

The author describes how dominant players preserve their profits through aggressive lobbying in the food space, and why that is particularly troubling.

Naked Capitalism
The Elephants in the Room: Citizens United, Trade and Corporate Ownership of Our Natural Resources
Wenonah Hauter | Executive Director of Food & Water Watch