One effect of the interstate commerce act (1887) was to put regulations on which industry?

Abstract

This article concerns the economic incidence of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 (ICA). Our focus is the short-haul pricing constraint, a provision of the ICA that prohibited railroads from charging higher rates to isolated, primarily agrarian shippers than it charged to intercity shippers of similar commodities. Utilizing the event study methodology, we find that the impending passage of the ICA generated a distribution of abnormal returns to railroads and shipping firms that is consistent with the theoretical implications of our analysis of the short-haul pricing constraint (SHPC). However, early interpretations of the SHPC by the Interstate Commerce Commission reduced some of the abnormal returns to railroads in a manner that is inconsistent with the hypothesis that the short-haul pricing constraint was an important mechanism of early railroad regulation. The analysis does support a multiple-interest interpretation of the Interstate Commerce Act and has implications for the positive theory of regulation.

Journal Information

The purpose of the RAND Journal of Economics, formerly the Bell Journal of Economics, is to support and encourage research in the behavior of regulated industries, the economic analysis of organizations, and more generally, applied microeconomics. Both theoretical and empirical manuscripts in economics and law are encouraged. Website: www.rje.org

Publisher Information

Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley has published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley has partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies and publishes over 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols in STMS subjects. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

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The RAND Journal of Economics © 1990 RAND Corporation
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Abstract

This article uses financial data to measure the effects of the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and subsequent legislative and judicial developments on firms in the railroad industry. The results indicate that the Interstate Commerce Act had a significant positive impact on railroad stock prices and that court decisions in the 1890s which severely restricted the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission caused negative stock price reactions. These findings offer support for the revisionist view of regulatory history, according to which the railroads welcomed regulation as a means of facilitating the enforcement of cartel-like agreements.

Journal Information

The purpose of the RAND Journal of Economics, formerly the Bell Journal of Economics, is to support and encourage research in the behavior of regulated industries, the economic analysis of organizations, and more generally, applied microeconomics. Both theoretical and empirical manuscripts in economics and law are encouraged. Website: www.rje.org

Publisher Information

Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley has published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley has partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies and publishes over 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols in STMS subjects. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

Rights & Usage

This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
The RAND Journal of Economics © 1989 RAND Corporation
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What was the effects of the Interstate Commerce Act?

The Interstate Commerce Act showed that Congress could apply the Commerce Clause more expansively to national issues if they involved commerce across state lines. After 1887, the national economy grew much more integrated, making almost all commerce interstate and international.

What was the main purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887?

The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 is a United States federal law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry, particularly its monopolistic practices. The Act required that railroad rates be "reasonable and just," but did not empower the government to fix specific rates.

What was the main purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 quizlet?

What was the main purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887? The Interstate Commerce Act was created to limit the monopolistic practices of the railroad industry.