Experts and Consultants from Analysis Group Mark 50 Years of the HSR Act by Examining its History and Future
October 27, 2026
The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act) was signed into law in 1976. The law aimed to protect market competition by instituting premerger notification, information, and waiting-period requirements for certain US mergers. The Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy marked the 50th anniversary of the law’s enactment with a conference, at which scholars and practitioners considered the HSR Act’s history, record, and future, as well as the broader landscape of US merger enforcement.
Several Analysis Group consultants and affiliates attended and contributed forthcoming research, including academic affiliate John Mayo, the center’s executive director, who hosted the conference, delivered opening remarks, and introduced speakers throughout the event. Professor Mayo’s article, “Estimating the Willingness to Pay to Avoid Antitrust Scrutiny,” was presented by his coauthor, Professor Robert Press.
Academic affiliate Edward Snyder presented research on the revised Merger Guidelines issued by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice in 2023. The Guidelines introduced a distinct treatment of multi-sided platforms and expanded the range of theories of anticompetitive harm under which mergers, particularly those in the technology sector, could be challenged. Professor Snyder’s research examined why, following their issuance, the antitrust agencies did not use the new theories to challenge the ongoing flow of transactions initiated by the major US platforms.
Analysis Group Managing Principal Rebecca Kirk Fair, Vice President Olga Kozlova Guglielmi, and Associate Laurianne Despeghel presented their article on the now-vacated 2025 overhaul of the HSR premerger notification form, which introduced more substantive information requirements. The article analyzed the implications of the 2025 HSR form, including its potential benefits for merger screening and the burdens imposed, drawing on comparisons with the EU’s iterative and front-loaded process. The authors concluded by reflecting on the ongoing evolution of premerger notification requirements in the US, drawing lessons from the 2025 HSR overhaul.