In collaboration with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Centre for Competition and Regulatory Policy at the Department of Economics at City, University of London, is hosting a Workshop on Economics of Competition and Regulation. The workshop will take place at City, University of London on July 22-23, 2024. It 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.

The workshop was originally planned for June 2024 but was rescheduled due to the general elections announcement.

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)

Panellists: 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 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)

Discussant

17:05-17:40 Discussion and Q&A from the floor