Keanu Reeves, Simpson's Paradox, Nicolas Cage, and Econometrics? Four Analytical Insights for Antitrust Counsel

Antitrust Source

16 Pages Posted: 21 May 2020 Last revised: 23 Apr 2022

See all articles by Ai Deng

Ai Deng

Charles River Associates; Johns Hopkins University

Date Written: December 20, 2020

Abstract

Has acting made you a better person? Keanu Reeves was asked that question on his promotional tour for John Wick Chapter 2. Interestingly, his (struggling to) answer tells us a lot about the type of challenges we face in antitrust analysis.

Using a series of everyday life examples, analogies, and with help from Keanu Reeves, Julius Caesar, and Nicolas Cage, I discuss four powerful insights in statistics and econometrics that antitrust practitioners can learn and apply, all without any deep understanding of the underlying mathematics. My goal is to convince the readers that you do not need an advanced degree in economics or statistics to become more than dangerous when it comes to econometric analysis in the antitrust domain.

Keywords: Antitrust, Causal Inference, Data Mining, Damages, Econometrics, Predictive Modeling, Regression, Simpson's Paradox

JEL Classification: A20, C01

Suggested Citation

Deng, Ai, Keanu Reeves, Simpson's Paradox, Nicolas Cage, and Econometrics? Four Analytical Insights for Antitrust Counsel (December 20, 2020). Antitrust Source, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3582169 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3582169

Ai Deng (Contact Author)

Charles River Associates ( email )

1201 F Street NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC DC 20004
United States

Johns Hopkins University ( email )

1717 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC DC 20036
United States

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