The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to announce Alden Abbott will join the Center as a Senior Research Fellow starting Jan. 25. Abbott will lead a new project on competition and antitrust issues, including the ongoing debate surrounding large tech firms. With these subjects dominating media and popular discourse, Mr. Abbott’s expertise will provide an excellent vantage point to promote sensible regulation and openness to innovation.
“I am delighted to join the Mercatus Center, which is noted for its application of economic reasoning to the most significant public policy issues,” said Mr. Abbott. “It is vitally important that market-oriented analysis be brought to bear on antitrust policy, at a time when the proliferation of high-tech digital platforms and new innovations are rapidly disrupting traditional industry dynamics and transforming markets.”
Before joining Mercatus, Mr. Abbott served as the Federal Trade Commission’s General Counsel from 2018 to early 2021, where he represented the Commission in court and provided legal advice to its representatives. Prior to working at the FTC, Mr. Abbott worked at the Heritage Foundation and BlackBerry Ltd. He also served as an adjunct professor at Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School from 1991 to 2018. Mr. Abbott has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.A. in economics from Georgetown University.
“We are excited to have Alden join us as we tackle these critical and timely questions,” said Brian Knight, Director of Innovation and Governance at the Mercatus Center. “Alden brings decades of experience in the private, public, academic, and non-profit sectors that will help him forward the Mercatus mission of bridging the gap between academic research and practical solutions.”
For additional information or to request an interview, please contact Matthew Boyer, Director of Media Relations, at [email protected].