Algorithmic Rents and Competition

03 October 2022, 1:45 pm–3:30 pm

In this in-person experts workshop at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) on October 3, 13:45pm - 15:30pm we will present for discussion and feedback select research progress and outputs from our digital economy research program (funded by the Omidyar Network). The focus of the workshop will be on Algorithmic Rents: An algorithmic approach to contemporary sources of digital platform power and harms.

Event Information

Open to: UCL staff | UCL students
Organiser: Ilan Strauss

i.strauss@ucl.ac.uk

Event Details

13:45 - 13:55 Welcome by Institute Director Prof. Mariana Mazzucato
13:55 - 14:25 Presentation by Ilan Strauss and Tim O’Reilly on recent UCL digital economy research
14:30 - 14:40 Prepared external remarks in response to Algorithmic Rents Working Paper
14:40 - 15:25 Inputs from external experts / workshop attendees
15:25 - 15:30 Conclusion

Experts from the UK’s CMA, Ofcom, the FCA, and academia will all be attending.

Write to Ilan Strauss i.strauss@ucl.ac.uk to confirm attendance.

Read here for more information.

About the Speakers

Prof Mariana Mazzucato

Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, Director, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She received her BA from Tufts University and her MA and PhD from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research. Her previous posts include the RM Phillips Professorial Chair at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex University. She is a selected fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and of the Italian National Science Academy (Lincei).

She is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the '3 most important thinkers about innovation' by The New Republic, one of the 50 most creative people in business in 2020 by Fast Company, and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by WIRED.

She is the author of three highly-acclaimed books: The Entrepreneurial State: debunking public vs. private sector myths (2013) which investigates the critical role the state plays in driving growth; The Value of Everything: making and taking in the global economy (2018) which looks at how value creation needs to be rewarded over value extraction; and the newly released Mission Economy: a moonshot guide to changing capitalism (2021).

She advises policy makers around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being Chair of the World Health Organization's Council on the Economics of Health for All and a member of the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors, the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council, the OECD Secretary General’s Advisory Group on a New Growth Narrative, the UN High Level Advisory Board for Economic and Social Affairs, Argentina’s Economic and Social Council, Vinnova’s Advisory Panel in Sweden, and Norway’s Research Council. Previously, through her role as Special Advisor for the EC Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation (2017-2019), she authored the high-impact report on Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union, turning “missions” into a crucial new instrument in the European Commission’s Horizon innovation programme. More about Prof Mariana Mazzucato

Ilan Strauss

Senior Research Associate at UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

Dr. Ilan Strauss is a senior research associate at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (London), where he leads the digital economy research team with Mariana Mazzucato (principal investigator) and Tim O’Reilly – funded by the Omidyar Network. His work investigates new theories of harm and competition in digital markets, with an emphasis on Big Tech’s digital platforms and ecosystems. Ilan is also the receipt of an Economic Security Project grant (jointly with Dr. Jangho Yang) looking at the role of acquisitions in Big Tech attaining dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) innovation.

Ilan is a Senior Research Associate in the Office of the SARChI Chair in Industrial Development, University ofJohannesburg (South Africa). Previously, he taught macroeconomics at Rice University (Jones Graduate School of Business) and at New York University (Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies). Ilan has consulted for Airfinity (London), UNCTAD (Investment Division), the African Development Bank (AfDB), UNIDO, the ILO, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Ilan holds a Ph.D in economics from the New School for Social Research (New York) and an MSc in economics from SOAS (University of London, First Class). For recent information see: www.ilan-strauss.org

More about Ilan Strauss

Tim O’Reilly

Visiting Professor of Practice at UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

Tim O’Reilly is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past thirty-five years. The company delivers online learning, publishes books, and runs online events about cutting-edge technology, and has a history of convening conversations that reshape the computer industry. If you’ve heard the term “open source software”, “web 2.0”, “the Maker movement”, “government as a platform”, or “the WTF economy”, he’s had a hand in framing each of those big ideas. Tim is also a partner at early stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), and on the boards of Code for America, PeerJ, Civis Analytics, and PopVox. He is the author of many technical books published by O’Reilly Media, and most recently WTF? What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us (Harper Business, 2017). He is working on a new book about why we need to rethink antitrust in the era of internet-scale platforms.

More about Tim O’Reilly