Antitrust, Regulation, and the Democratization of the Economy

Antitrust is back in the spotlight—not just as a response to Big Tech and Big Pharma’s market power, but as a crucial site for debating the future of democracy. Can policymakers move beyond a concern for simple market competition and address deeper problems of concentrated economic power, organizational innovation, and democratic participation in the economy? Some argue that aggressive antitrust overreaches and threatens to stifle innovation, while others see it as an opportunity to link innovation to deeper and more equitable democratization. Still others contend that antitrust alone is not enough to make the economy more prosperous and democratic and call for broader political intervention (industrial policy, revival of trade unions, stronger regulation) to combat the growth of inequality and oligarchy. This conference gathers leading scholars to discuss the contemporary politics of antitrust and possibilities for creating a more innovative, participatory, equitable, and democratic political economy.

Conference speakers

Gerald Berk, Political Science, University of Oregon

Brian Callaci, Open Markets Institute

Chase Foster, Department of European & International Affairs, King’s College London

Richard John, History, Columbia University

Laura Phillips-Sawyer, School of Law, University of Georgia

Georg Rillinger, MIT Sloan School

AnnaLee Saxenian, UC Berkeley School of Information

Marc Schneiberg, Sociology, Reed College

Ganesh Sitaraman, Vanderbilt Law School

Illustration by Lukas Muller-Wunsch adapted from “The Bosses of the Senate” political cartoon by Joseph Keppler, first published in Puck, circa January 23, 1889. Via Wikimedia Commons.

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