2.3: Consumer Education
Prevent consumer injury through education Other Information:
As a complement to its activities aimed at preventing consumer injury through education, the FTC provides substantial information
to the business community, policymakers, and consumers about the role of the antitrust laws and businesses’ obligations under
those laws. Our Strategy: The FTC has unique jurisdiction to gather, analyze, and make public certain information concerning
the nature of competition as it affects U.s. commerce. The FTC uses that authority to hold public hearings, convene conferences
and workshops, conduct economic studies on competition issues of significant public importance, and issue reports of its findings.
This authority advances the competition goal in numerous ways and is a fundamental component in the FTC’s strategy to enhance
consumer welfare. The agency uses the information it develops internally to refine the theoretical framework for analyzing
competition issues and the empirical understanding of industry practices, which contributes substantially to an effective
response to changing marketplace conditions. The information gained through this authority, combined with the agency’s professional
expertise on competition issues, also contributes to a better understanding of business practices and their competitive and
economic implications by various entities, including the business sector, the legal community, other enforcement authorities,
the judiciary, foreign competition agencies, and governmental decision makers and policymakers at the federal, state, and
local levels. and finally, the FTC files comments with federal and state government bodies advocating policies that promote
the interests of consumers and highlight the role of consumer and empirical research in their decision making. The FTC also
files amicus briefs to aid courts’ considerations of consumer protection issues Performance Results: The key measures used
to gauge the FTC’s success under this objective are the ones relating to conducting public hearings, conferences, and workshops
(Performance Measure 2.3.1), issuing reports and studies on competition related issues (Performance Measure 2.3.2), and making
advocacy filings (Performance Measure 2.3.3). These measures, in conjunction with Performance Measures 2.3.4, and 2.3.5, help
to ensure that the agency is engaging in appropriate types and sufficient levels of research, reports, and advocacy and that
they are relevant to consumers, policymakers, businesses, and the legal community. The target for these measures sets a minimum
level of activity that the agency is expected to achieve.
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