How Corporate Funding Impacts Competition Policy Research

Academic Capture in Competition Law and Policy?
How Corporate Funding Impacts Competition Policy Research & Appropriate Institutional Design

Organized by
CLES@UCL, Stigler Center@UChicago Booth, Georgetown Law School, Imperial College London Business School and Inclusive Competition Forum

About the Conference

This conference will explore how corporate funding and corporate relationships more broadly impact competition policy research and policy. We are interested in exploring how conflicts of interest can potentially create bias in academia and policy. The first panel will examine the question of conflicts of interest in antitrust academia, exploring how the relationships between industry and academics can impact research quality and potentially create negative externalities. The second panel will bring together representatives of competition authorities and judges, exploring their experience and views on the topic. The third panel will focus on policy discussions, or how to minimize potential problems in industry/academia relationships in competition policy. A reception will follow.

Programme

13:10 Welcome remarks
Filippo Lancieri, Georgetown Law Center; Stigler Center, UChicago Booth

13:30 Panel 1: Conflicts of Interest in Academic Research in Competition Law and Policy: What are the problems?

• Cristina Caffarra, UCL & CEPR
• Aviv Nevo, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Economics, former chief economist, Federal Trade Commission
• Rupprecht Podszun, Professor of Law, Instituts für Kartellrecht, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Member, Monopolkomission, Professor of Law, President ASCOLA
• Maarten Pieter Schinkel, University of Amsterdam, Department of Economics
• Hans Zenger, Head of unit, Chief Economist team, European Commission; President, Association of Competition Economists (ACE)

Moderator: Tommaso Valletti, Imperial College London & CEPR, former chief economist, European Commission

Watch the recording of this panel

15:00 Coffee Break

15:15 Panel 2: Courts, Authorities - How do Conflicts of Interest impact judicial or authorities’ decision-making? How to minimize the risk?

• Fernando Castillo de la Torre, Director, Legal Service, European Commission
• John Davies, Member UK Competition Appeal Tribunal
• Ana Sofia Rodrigues, Portuguese Competition Authority 
• Damien Gerard, Director General, Belgian Competition Authority
• Simon Holmes, Member, UK Competition Appeal Tribunal
• Diane Wood, Senior Judge, US Court of Appeal, 7th circuit

Moderator: Ioannis Lianos, Director, CLES@UCL, Member, UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, former president, Hellenic Competition Commission, ICF

Watch the recording of this panel

16:45 Coffee Break

17:00 Panel 3: Finding Solutions to the Conflicts of Interest Problem: market, self-regulation or regulation?

• Rasmus Andresen, MEP
• Max Bank, Lobby Control
• Thomas Deseinhofer, Principal Adviser, Ex-post economic evaluation, DG Competition, European Commission
• Rene Repasi, Member of the European Parliament
• Vanessa Turner, Senior Adviser, Competition, BEUC
• Tommaso Valletti, Imperial College London & CEPR, former chief economist, European Commission

Moderator: Francesca Micheletti, Politico

18.30  Concluding remarks
Ioannis Lianos, Director, CLES@UCL, Member, UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, former president, Hellenic Competition Commission

Watch the recording of this panel

Remembering Professor Valentine Korah

Professor Valentine Korah, who passed away in July 2023, left a lasting legacy. She was the first female law professor at UCL and one of the first three in the UK. She was one of the first women in the UK to be appointed to a Chair in Law and devoted her career to competition law, becoming a leading academic in the European Community and Competition Law and comparative/international antitrust.

Read more about Valentine Korah’s legacy and how you can contribute to it