2.3: Research, Reports & Advocacy

Enhance consumer benefit through research, reports, and advocacy.

Other Information:

In addition to its enforcement authority, the FTC has the 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 mission in numerous ways. The agency uses the information internally to refine the theoretical 13 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 on various entities, including the business sector, the legal community, other enforcement authorities, the judiciary, and governmental decision makers and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels. In particular, the agency testifies before Congress on competition issues. The FTC uses its expertise to encourage governmental actors at all levels to evaluate both the costs and the benefits of their policies for consumers, and to ensure such policies promote consumer benefit. This advocacy includes formal and informal dialogue with state and federal policymakers and amicus curiae briefs filed with state and federal courts. Performance Measures: - Workshops, seminars, conferences, and hearings convened or cosponsored that involve significant competition-related issues. - Reports and studies issued on key competition-related topics. - Advocacy comments and amicus briefs on competition issues filed with entities including federal and state legislatures, agencies or courts. - The percentage of respondents finding the FTC's advocacy comments and amicus briefs "useful." (Note that "usefulness" is assessed by the recipient; the target percentage recognizes that comments critiquing a recipient's proposed action may not be assessed positively.) - The volume of traffic on www.ftc.gov relating to competition research, reports, and advocacy. These measures will help ensure that the agency is engaging in appropriate types and sufficient levels of research, reports, and advocacy to ensure that they are relevant to consumers, policymakers, business, and the legal community.

Indicator(s):

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