The Global Antitrust Economics Conference

Luis CABRAL | Chair, Department of Economics, NYU Stern School of Business, New York (bio)

Elinor HOFFMANN | Chief, Antitrust Bureau at Office of the New York Attorney General, NY*

Moderator: Lawrence WHITE | Professor, Department of Economics, NYU Stern School of Business, New York (bio)

The panel will explore the question of whether antitrust policy should be involved in combating inflation and assess the role of antitrust in the financial services sector as Big tech companies enter the market. Additionally, it will address the impact of new financial regulations on competition, the issue of consolidation in the banking and stock exchange industries, and the need for more aggressive enforcement of private equity acquisitions. Furthermore, it will highlight the antitrust challenges in creating a legal framework for the cryptocurrency exchange market and the African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP), which aims to interconnect stock exchanges in Africa.

Maggie GOODLANDER | Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Washington, D.C*
Patrizia MARTINO | Senior Counsel, TD Bank Group, Toronto (bio)
Andrea MARVAN SALTIEL | Chairperson, COFECE, Mexico*
Celeste SARAVIA | Vice President, Cornerstone Research, San Francisco (bio)

Moderator: Bill BAER | Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C. (bio)

The panel touches upon various aspects related to antitrust and competition in the health and life sciences industries. It highlights recent mergers in this sector, such as Illumina’s acquisition of Grail and Seagen’s merger with Pfizer. Furthermore, the panel mentions the increased antitrust scrutiny of information exchanges and collaborations within the health care industry, as evidenced by the Department of Justice’s withdrawal of three antitrust guidance documents and the Federal Trade Commission’s investigations on Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Additionally, the discussion will point out instances of price and non-price abuses. Lastly, the importance of patent litigation in the health and life sciences industries will be underlined.

Aileen FAIR | Senior Corporate Counsel Litigation & Government Investigations, Antitrust & Competition Law, Bristol Myers Squibb, Washington D.C. (bio)
Pauline KENNEDY | Antitrust & Competition Practice Principal, Bates White, Washington D.C. (bio)
Stephen MOHR | Assistant Director, Mergers I, U.S Federal Trade Commission, Washington D.C. (bio)

Moderator: TBD

The panel provides an overview of recent criminal antitrust cases where economists testified, including United States v. Lischewski (2019) on price-fixing, and United States v. DaVita (2022), which dealt with a no-poach agreement. It highlights the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Antitrust Division’s renewed focus on using Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act to prosecute monopolization cases for the first time in over 40 years. The discussion will also focus on US Labor monopsony issues. This comprehensive look at recent antitrust cases and enforcement actions underscores the growing importance of addressing anticompetitive practices to protect fair competition and workers’ rights in various industries.

Emma BURNHAM | Acting Director of Criminal Enforcement, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C. (bio)
Diana L. MOSS | Vice President and Director of Competition Policy, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington D.C. (bio)
Jesús M. ALVARADO-RIVERA | Global Director Antitrust, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Washington D.C.*

Moderator: TBD

The panel addresses the concerning issue of algorithmic collusion that can lead to anticompetitive practices. It also highlights the significance of data collection and privacy concerns in this context. The mention of the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022 indicates growing regulatory attention to hold companies accountable for the algorithms they employ.

Ioana E. MARINESCU | Division’s principal Economist, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C. (bio)

Moderator: Daniel FRANCIS | Professor of Law, NYU School of Law, New York (bio)