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
Dec 12, 2022 • 26min
FTC Chair Lina Khan Discusses Unfair Methods of Competition
Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Prior to becoming head of the FTC, Khan was an Associate Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. She also previously served as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, legal adviser to FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra, and legal director at the Open Markets Institute.
Dec 6, 2022 • 29min
Microsoft/Activision with Xbox CEO Phil Spencer
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discusses competition in the video game market.
Nov 29, 2022 • 34min
Fixing "Litigating the Fix" with Professor Steve Salop
Steven Salop is a Professor of Economics and Law (Emeritus) at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, where he teaches antitrust law and economics. His research and consulting focuses on antitrust, competition and regulation. He has written numerous articles in various areas of antitrust and competition which take a modern “Post-Chicago” approach.He recently co-wrote a paper with Jennifer E. Sturiale laying out a proposal for how antitrust enforcers and courts can fix "Litigating the Fix."
Oct 27, 2022 • 27min
The Hidden Monopoly Driving Up Rents
Heather Vogell is a Propublica journalist currently investigating the rental housing market. Her recent article, “Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why,” has resonated with citizens, antitrust enforcers, and policymakers across the country.
Oct 20, 2022 • 28min
Taking on Monopoly Power in Search with Neeva CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy
Neeva is an ads-free search engine that Sridhar co-founded after overseeing advertising at Google. We discuss big tech, competition policy, and how his views on data have shifted since creating Neeva.
Sep 23, 2022 • 33min
A Hidden Monopoly in Appalachia Driving Up Energy Prices
Daniel Sherwood, Energy Team Editor at the Capitol Forum, and his colleague Sharon Kelly discuss their investigation into the Natural Gas Liquids market, where they found indications that dominant producers in Appalachia are encouraging each other to keep prices high by producing less.
Sep 16, 2022 • 51min
CVS and Signify: Value-Based Care or Risk Score Gaming?
Lisa Epstein and Vikas Kumar from the Capitol Forum’s corporate investigations team discuss their reporting on the aggressive marketing tactics and sales strategies of Signify Health on the eve of its proposed $8 Billion acquisition by CVS.
Aug 4, 2022 • 35min
Dr. Cristina Caffarra on the State of Europe’s Antitrust Regulation and Enforcement
Dr. Caffarra is a world-renowned competition economist with over two decades of experience. She’s served as a top advisor and expert before the European Commission and has provided guidance to multiple companies and agencies on mergers, conduct cases and regulatory issues. In this episode of Second Request, Dr. Caffarra dives into the latest in European antitrust regulation and enforcement and voices concerns about the influence of economists on competition.
Jul 7, 2022 • 41min
The Weak Argument Jeopardizing Tech Antitrust Legislation with Gilad Edelman
Gilad Edelman is a senior writer for WIRED, covering the intersection of tech, politics, and law. Before that, he was executive editor of the Washington Monthly. He has a degree from Yale Law School.His recent article, “The Weak Argument Jeopardizing Tech Antitrust Legislation” is having an outsized impact on the conversation happening on Capitol Hill.
Jun 30, 2022 • 34min
Beat Inflation by Tackling Market Power and Supply Chain Crisis, Says Niko Lusiani
Niko Lusiani is the co-author of the Roosevelt Institute’s recently published paper, “Prices, Profits, and Power: An Analysis of 2021 Firm-Level Markups.How to understand and respond to inflation has become one of the central debates of this economic recovery. In “Prices, Profits, and Power: An Analysis of 2021 Firm-Level Markups,” Roosevelt’s Director of Macroeconomic Analysis, Mike Konczal, and Director of Corporate Power Niko Lusiani, conduct original research to show that we need an all-of-government administrative, regulatory, and legislative approach to tackling inflation that includes demand, supply, and market power interventions.
