The Centre for Competition and Regulatory Policy at the Department of Economics at City, University of London is hosting a two-day workshop on the Economics of Competition and Regulation. The workshop is organised in collaboration with the Competition and Markets Authority and will bring together academics, policy makers and industry practitioners to share their perspectives on a broad range of topics related to competition on and regulation of various markets.

We are grateful to School of Policy and Global Affairs, Charles River Associates, NERA, RBB Economics and Oxera Consulting LLP for their financial support.

PROGRAM

Location: Oliver Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tait Building, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB

Monday, 22 July 2024

9:30-9:40 Welcome address by Xeni Dassiou

Session 1: The Role of Data and Algorithms in Digital Markets

9:40-10:20  Diane Coyle (University of Cambridge)

Open Source (Generative) AI Models 

Discussant: Johan Keetelaar (Oxera)

10:20-11:00 Carlo Reggiani (University of Manchester)

Data-driven market leadership and price coordination (with Y. Gu and L. Madio)

Discussant: Nitika Bagaria (Keystone) 

11:00-11:20 Coffee break

Session 2: Interoperability in Digital Markets

11:20-12:00 James Bruschini and Robin Finer (Ofcom)

Mandated interoperability in digital markets

Discussant: Arina Nikandrova (City, University of London)

12:00-12:40 Jan Krämer (University of Passau)

Interoperability in Digital Markets: Boon or Bane for Market Contestability? (with Marc Bourreau)

Discussant: Robin Noble (Oxera)

12:40-13:40  Lunch

Panel discussion

13:40-15:00 DMCC Act

Moderator: Xeni Dassiou (City, University of London)

Speakers: Bethan Watts (CMA), Oles Andriychuk (University of Exeter), Katharine Rockett (University of Essex), Siobhán Dennehy (Department for Business and Trade), David Matthew (NERA), Kai-Uwe Kühn (University of East Anglia)

Session 3: Digital Ecosystems

15:00-15:40 Oliver Latham (CRA)

Analysing ecosystem effects in merger control

Discussant: Daniel Ershov (UCL)

15:40-16:20   Fiona Scott Morton (Yale)

Access Pricing for App Stores Under the Digital Markets Act (with David Dinielli, Paul Heidhues, Gene Kimmelman, Giorgio Monti, Margaret O'Grady, Rupprecht Podszun & Monika Schnitzer)

Discussant:  Pierre Régibeau

16:20-16:40 Coffee break

Session 4: Potential Impacts of Market Power

16:40-17:20  Samilah Naira (CMA) 

Review of Competition in the Groceries Sector 

Discussant: Robert Scherf (Berkley Research Group)

17:20-18:00   Howard Smith (University of Oxford)

The Rise of Discounters and Its Impact on Concentration, Market Power and Welfare

Discussant: Alex Waddington (CMA)

Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Session 4: Market Power, Reallocation and Returns to Scale

9:30-10:10  Joel Kariel (CMA)

Scale, Span and Scope: Under the Hood of Superstar Firms

Discussant: Stefano Fasani (Lancaster University) 

10:10-10:50   Tommaso Bighelli (Bank of England)

Ownership Changes, Competition and Product Reallocation

Discussant: Stan Lalanne (CMA)

10:50-11:10 Coffee break

Session 5: Media Plurality 

9:30-10:10   Simeon Thornton (Ofcom)

Media plurality and online news

Discussant: Andrea Tesei (Queen Mary, University of London)

10:10-10:50 Marit Hinnosaar (University of Nottingham) 

Influencer Cartels (with Toomas Hinnosaar) 

Discussant: George Tucker (RBB)

10:50-11:10 Coffee break

Session 6: The Role of Data and Algorithms in Digital Markets II  

11:10-11:50    Cole Williams (Durham University)

Search Platforms: Big Data and Sponsored Positions (with Maarten Janssen, Thomas Jungbauer, Marcel Preuss)

Discussant: Tom Farmer (CMA)

11:50-12:30   Annie Leith (CMA) 

Foundation Models - Competition and Consumer Impacts

Discussant: Xeni Dassiou (City, University of London)

12:30-13:10   Martin Peitz (University of Mannheim) 

Product recommendations and price parity

Discussant: Helen Ralston-Smith (Oxera)

13:10-14:10 Lunch

Session 7: Labour Market Power

14:10-14:50   Jakob Schneebacher (CMA)

Labour Market Power in the UK

Discussant: Giacinta Cestone (City, University of London)

14:50-15:30   Axel Gottfries (University of Edinburgh)

Dynamic monopsony with large firms and non-competes (joint work with G. Jarosch)

Discussant: Gabriele Corbetta (Compass Lexecon)

15:30-15:50 Coffee break

Session 8: Competition Policy and Sustainability  

15:50-16:15    Timo Klein (Oxera & Utrecht University)

Using economics to implement the new legal framework on competition and sustainability

16:15-16:40   Tristan Lécuyer (RBB)

Sustainability agreements – Experience from a practical assessment under the EU Horizontal Guidelines

16:40-17:05  Maarten Pieter Schinkel (University of Amsterdam) 

Discussion