Escape Forward: Connecting dots beyond the antitrust island

Rafael Laguna de la Vera, founding director of SPRIND and a serial entrepreneur, joins forces with Dietmar Harhoff, an innovation policy expert and former director at the Max Planck Institute. They dive into Europe’s urgent quest for digital sovereignty, unpacking key dependencies and choke points in the tech landscape. The duo discusses how digital capabilities drive economic growth, the causes behind Europe's lag in digital engineering, and the importance of agile policies for resilience. Their insights provide a thought-provoking look at the European tech renaissance.

Rohit Chopra, former FTC Commissioner and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, shares his insights on the evolving landscape of finance and global power. He discusses how the U.S. is rethinking currency strategies and the implications for trade, especially concerning China. Chopra also delves into the motivations behind tariffs, the role of state equity stakes, and the complex relationship between Big Tech and the government. He emphasizes the need for Europe to bolster its industrial policies and adapt to these shifting dynamics.

Roger Alford, a Notre Dame Professor and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ Antitrust Division, dives into the evolving landscape of U.S. antitrust enforcement. He discusses the shift from the 'America First Antitrust' approach to the challenges of regulating digital monopolies. Alford highlights the need for precise enforcement strategies and critiques the influence of corporate lobbyists and cultural elitism on policy. He also questions the effectiveness of current legal remedies and what it means for global regulators.

Oren Cass, Chief Economist at American Compass, offers a conservative U.S. perspective on the global stage, while Sander Tordoir, Chief Economist at the Center for European Reform, brings insights from Europe's economic challenges. The discussion covers America's shift to protectionism and its trade war implications, the impact on U.S.-Europe relations, and the need for Europe to find its footing amidst changing geopolitical dynamics. They also explore the regulatory complexities of tech giants and how intertwined antitrust issues are with international politics.

Antitrust has thrived in the shadows for decades as a technocracy, a church with its own rituals, a lobbyfest pretending to be science. But it is an economic policy tool working alongside others. After a lifetime as antitrust expert economist & one of the original proponents of the “more economic approach” in Europe, Cristina Caffarra discusses with friends in policy and academe why we need to escape the myth competition will deliver “a level playing field, consumer choice and innovation” & move forward to connecting the dots with everything else that matters to growth & prosperity.