Office Opening in London

Office Opening and Expert Debate “Polarisation of Antitrust” on 11 October 2022

E.CA Economics is expanding its European footprint and has opened new premises in Clerkenwell, London. To mark the occasion, we hosted an interactive expert debate. The event brought together prominent academics, policymakers, lawyers and economists from around the globe to discuss differing perspectives on competition enforcement.

During the first panel discussion, Amelia Fletcher and Lars-Hendrik Röller explored with Bas Dessens the relationship between competition policy and sustainability, discussing the role of firms, investors and the government in a push for competitive markets overall that have the potential to provide sustainable choices for consumers in the long-run. This view was also carefully complemented with cautious take on the extent to which certain types of green investments work, along with discussions on the optimal level of tax revenues used in funding such initiatives.

Further, on the second panel discussion that was moderated by Alena Kozakova, our speakers Joseph Farrell and Mike Walker focused on the debate between over-enforcement and under-enforcement in antitrust policy. While on the one hand, the role of decision theory and the increased need for simpler economic analysis is observed, on the other hand, some ideas that could explain under-enforcement were discussed.  In particular, the role of mistreatment of uncertainty, failure to appreciate that competition drives innovation and finally, a careful review of the firm’s incentives could explain why there is under-enforcement in the economy.

Watch the panels on “Polarisation of Antitrust” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cbQt8EARKM