Rethinking Consumer Protection: Escaping Death by Regulation [Hardcover]

For many decades consumer protection laws have focused on preventing bad choices. Though that approach has some value, this book explains we are much more often harmed, even killed, by the needless delay of new inventions that could save lives or vastly improve life quality. Thomas Tacker explains how we can revamp regulation to embrace inventions that save and improve lives while still holding companies accountable for actions that harm consumers. Case studies include price gouging, the FDA approval process, airport passenger screening, and occupational licensing, particularly as it relates to Uber. This book demonstrates that enacting appropriate liability laws and providing information to guide consumers, rather than strictly controlling their choices, will save thousands of lives annually, increase consumer freedom, and make life more enjoyable.Thomas Tacker is professor of economics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida.

Chapter 1 Economic Foundations of Morality and Consumer Wellbeing

Chapter 2 New Medicines and Our Dangerous Quest for Certainty

Chapter 3 Saving Lives with a Better, Safer FDA

Chapter 4 How Uber Innovated to Save Lives and Why Taxis Never Did

Chapter 5 Business Reality versus Cultural Perception

Chapter 6 Is Air Travel Too Safe, and Do We Need the TSA Monopoly?

Chapter 7 Toward More Safety, More Choices and Lower Prices