The Capitol Forum Podcast
The Capitol Forum
Exploring Solutions to Monopoly ProblemsFollowing forty years of laissez-faire antitrust enforcement and industry consolidation, the White House is considering a fundamental rethink of how to interpret, enforce, and rewrite antitrust law, and many questions remain unanswered for the antitrust community. On the heels of federal and state litigation against Google and Facebook, is Amazon next? Will the new administration put big agriculture, big banks, and big pharma in its crosshairs? Will the courts stop antitrust enforcers in their tracks? Will the Biden administration get cold feet?The Capitol Forum Podcast provides in-depth discussions with antitrust experts about the answers to these questions and about proposed solutions to the biggest monopoly problems of our time. Backed by the investigative resources and intellectual rigor of The Capitol Forum, Executive Editor and host Teddy Downey examines the effects of the current concentrations of market power across a vast array of industry verticals as he and his guests analyze the potential responses from the federal government. Offering thoughtful conversations with analysts and decision makers, The Capitol Forum Podcast provides everyone from C-Suite executives to policymakers, and all those in-between, strategic antitrust insights at the intersection of law, policy, and markets.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 15, 2024 • 1h 10min
Talking Big Tech, Antitrust, and Refusals to Deal with Daniel Hanley
Daniel Hanley, Senior Legal Analyst at the Open Markets Institute, discusses his recent paper "Illuminating the Anti-Coercion Foundations of Refusals to Deal" and its implications.
Oct 24, 2024 • 1h
Market Concentration in Food & Agriculture with Sarah Carden and Basel Musharbash
Antitrust attorney Basel Musharbash and Farm Action’s Sarah Carden discuss a groundbreaking report on corporate control in American agriculture. Commissioned by Farm Action and written by Basel, ’Kings Over the Necessaries of Life' dives into the history of competition policy in agriculture, current market concentration levels, and strategies for restoring competition in this crucial sector.
Jul 1, 2024 • 1h 1min
The Hidden Costs of Electric Utility Monopoly Power with John Farrell
Co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and director of the Energy Democracy Initiative, John Farrell, discusses his recent report on the 100-year-old business model granting private exclusive power over the public resource of electricity. Learn about the abuses that come from allowing private monopoly power to control electricity, including pollution-linked deaths, price-hiking, power-shutoffs for low-income families and other publicly borne burdens. The discussion also includes recommended structural reforms for restoring competition and equilibrium to the sector.
Jun 6, 2024 • 1h 10min
The Recent NAR Settlement and the Future of Residential Real Estate
Jack Ryan, CEO of REX, and John Tamny, RealClearMarkets Editor, discuss the recent NAR settlement's implications for the real estate industry, challenging traditional views on homeownership. They explore topics like rental vs. owning, the role of private equity in housing, changes in buying side fees, and the obstacles in reforming the real estate sector. The conversation also touches on government intervention, market players like Zillow, and the evolving landscape of the residential real estate market.
5 snips
Jun 6, 2024 • 1h 5min
Antitrust Economics at a Time of Upheaval
Eminent economists Kwoka, Valletti, and White discuss the evolving landscape of antitrust economics, analyzing key cases like Google in the US and EU. They explore challenges in competition policy, delve into labor market impacts, and debate the effectiveness of remedies in addressing antitrust concerns.
Jun 6, 2024 • 52min
Jason Kint on the US vs. Google Antitrust Trial
CEO of Digital Content Next, Jason Kint, offers his analysis of the recently concluded Google trial proceedings. As one of the foremost authorities on digital media and tech policy, Jason offers invaluable insights into the implications and potential outcomes of this landmark case.
May 8, 2024 • 57min
The Re-Monopolization of the U.S. Sports Trading Card Industry
Listen in as Capitol Forum Executive Editor Teddy Downey interviews the authors of a recent paper entitled “The Re-Monopolization of the U.S. Sports Trading Card Industry.” Authors Marc Edelman, Nathaniel Grow and John Holden discuss the history of US sports trading cards leading up to sports retailer Fanatics’ consolidation of the $8B industry. Learn how Fanatics used exclusive sports-licensing agreements to achieve the monopoly and what the potential implications are for the industry and for consumers.
Apr 15, 2024 • 50min
Capital One/Discover: A Competition Policy and Regulatory Deep Dive
Hear senior policy analyst at Economic Liberties Shahid Naeem discuss his findings from a recent report on the proposed Capital One/Discover merger, which, if approved, would create the U.S.’s sixth-largest bank and No. 1 credit card issuer. Shahid evaluates the strength of Capital One’s “merge-to-compete” defense in an increasingly challenging enforcement environment.
Apr 15, 2024 • 59min
Antitrust Enforcement - Past, Present, & Future with Bill Baer
On the latest episode of The Capitol Forum’s Second Request podcast, Executive Editor Teddy Downey speaks with one of the world’s best known and most respected antitrust/competition enforcers, Bill Baer. As the only person to have led antitrust enforcement at both U.S. antitrust agencies, Bill offers unique insight into how antitrust enforcement has changed over the years and what challenges and opportunities current enforcers face.
Apr 15, 2024 • 60min
Exploring Shifts in the Global Antitrust Landscape with Cristina Caffarra
On this episode of Second Request, renowned antitrust expert Cristina Caffarra talks to Executive Editor of The Capitol Forum, Teddy Downey, about how the major shift underway in US antitrust is propagating across the globe. Listen to the podcast to learn what implications the shift has for antitrust, trade and industrial policy across the US, Europe and the Global South. They also cover developments that have come out of Cristina’s groundbreaking conference in Brussels: Antitrust, Regulation and the Next World Order.
