• An Uneasy Bargain: The State and the American Market (ISBN 979-11-995395-3-2), published by Veritaum LLC
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An Uneasy Bargain: The State and the American Market

An Uneasy Bargain: The State and the American Market

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$49.00 USD
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Publication Details

ISBN: 979-11-995395-3-2
Series: The American Equation: Liberty, Inequality, and Capital
Release date: June 4, 2026
Format: eBook (PDF)
Page count: 125
Content curator: Eva M Shin
Publisher (imprint): Veritaum
Sold by: Veritaum LLC
Copyright © 2026 Veritaum LLC. All rights reserved.

This collection of essays examines critical confrontations in the history of American economic governance, tracing the nation’s fundamental approach to regulation, corporate power, and innovation from the Gilded Age to the digital age. From the constitutional battles over the New Deal to the trust-busting era of the early 20th century, the “Third Way” policies of the 1990s tech boom, and the structural challenges posed by modern platform economies, these studies reveal the enduring tension between federal oversight and private economic power in shaping the American market.

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What’s Inside

  • The Political Economy of Antitrust Enforcement Under Republican Rule, 1890–1914

    Nathan Hu

    Explore how the “trust-busters” of the Gilded Age often failed to bust the trusts. This paper analyzes how the Republican Party, despite passing the Sherman Act of 1890, strategically weakened its enforcement through vague language and selective prosecution to serve its pro-business ideology. It offers a critical lesson on the difference between the letter of the law and the political will to enforce it.

  • Robber Barons and the Gold Panic of 1869: Lessons for Economic and Political Governance

    Helena Zhang

    Revisit the dramatic attempt by Jay Gould and James Fisk to corner the gold market, revealing how political corruption, economic volatility, and weak federal oversight enabled one of the earliest threats to American democratic governance. By tracing the scheme's collapse and the public backlash against the Grant administration, the paper shows how Black Friday exposed the dangers of unchecked private power and the urgent need for robust regulatory institutions.

  • The Quest to Innovate: President Clinton’s Nuanced Approach to Tech Industry Regulation

    Aaron Joy

    Reconcile President Clinton’s generally hands-off economic philosophy with the aggressive antitrust case leveled against Microsoft during his presidency. This paper argues that the common thread in Clinton's approach was a singular focus on prioritizing and protecting innovation. This “Third Way” philosophy set his administration apart from both traditional economic schools and the regulatory views that would follow in the 21st century.

  • Land Restitution: A Catalyst for Economic Development on Indigenous Reservations in the US

    Vinayak Menon

    Examine a bold policy proposal for tackling the poverty and unemployment that plague Indigenous reservations in the United States. This paper analyzes how the historical lack of tribal land ownership has created vast amounts of “dead capital.” It argues that a system of land restitution is a viable and necessary mechanism to unlock economic potential, reduce dependency, and promote sustainable growth for these communities.

  • Manufacturing Trust: Online Review Manipulation and the Structural Limits of Consumer Protection

    Jayden Huh

    Interrogate the adequacy of America’s consumer protection framework in the age of platform capitalism. This paper argues that online review manipulation has become a structural feature of digital marketplaces, where algorithmic incentives make deception economically rational—and that the FTC’s landmark 2024 Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, however well-intentioned, cannot address a failure this deeply architectural.