Protecting Competition from the Postal Monopoly

J. Gregory Sidak and Daniel F. Spulber examine the justifications for the publicly-protected postal monopoly and its public ownership and control. In their economic and legal analysis, the authors demonstrate the need to prevent extension of the postal monopoly into competitive markets. Protecting Competition from the Postal Monopoly raises a fundamental issue--whether Congress' grant of a monopoly to the Postal Service over the delivery of letter mail should be used to restrict or supplant private commerce in other markets.