Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State

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The program is a non-resident, 3-year appointment designed to support the research of up-and-coming academics working in political economy and other related fields. Join our multidisciplinary community to develop your research, exchange ideas, and collaborate with academics from across the world.

Don't miss your chance! Apply by January 23, 2026: chicagobooth.edu/stigleraffiliate

Why do smartphones keep costing more, even when they barely seem to improve? The answer might found in an unexpected place: the Google Search antitrust case.

In that case, it was uncovered that Google pays Apple billions to make them the default search engine on iPhones.

New analysis from Steven Salop at Georgetown Law argues that these revenue-sharing payments weaken the fight between iPhones and any phone running on Android. And when the two biggest companies in mobile phone operating systems have financial incentives not to compete, regular people end up paying more and getting less innovation.
You can read the full analysis at link in bio.

The Google Search monopoly case focused on how Google’s agreements with Apple to set Google Search as the exclusive default search engine on Apple’s mobile devices allowed Google to solidify its monopoly in internet search. However, a less-explored dimension of these agreements is how they likewise fortified Apple’s monopoly power in the smartphone market, writes Steven C. Salop (Georgetown Law).

How Google Revenue-Sharing Payments Contribute to Apple’s Monopoly Power - ProMarket The Google Search monopoly case focused on how Google’s agreements with Apple to set Google Search as the exclusive default search engine on Apple’s mobile devices allowed Google to solidify its monopoly in internet search. However, a less-explored dimension of these agreements is how they likew...

Beatriz Kira (University of Sussex) argues that Brazil’s proposed digital competition bill shows how the Global South can strengthen regulation of Big Tech platforms without forfeiting competitiveness. Brazil’s efforts build on global models yet chart their own course and belie the false dichotomy between encouraging national business development and protecting competition and its benefits.

Brazil’s Fair Digital Competition Bill Offers an Alternative to Regulating Big Tech - ProMarket Beatriz Kira argues that Brazil’s proposed digital competition bill shows how the Global South can strengthen regulation of Big Tech platforms without forfeiting competitiveness. Brazil’s efforts build on global models yet chart their own course and belie the false dichotomy between encouraging ...

Europe is acutely aware it has fallen behind competitively, but it is struggling to find a way to recover lost ground. Cristina Caffarra writes that Europe did not find any inspiration in the American anti-monopoly movement, which underpinned the whole-of-government approach of the Biden administration. It is also faltering in developing a response to the vigorous array of tools deployed by the Trump administration to assert power at home and on the world stage. It does not need to be this way, as Europe has tremendous assets and capabilities. But it needs investment and leadership, boldness and experimentation in vision and policy design. Policymakers are beginning to see the urgency, but there is still too much narrow defensive posturing by regulators sticking to their patch.

The New Geoeconomics of Hard Power Requires New Tools. Will Europe Update? - ProMarket Europe is acutely aware it has fallen behind competitively, but it is struggling to find a way to recover lost ground. Cristina Caffarra writes that Europe did not find any inspiration in the American anti-monopoly movement, which underpinned the whole-of-government approach of the Biden administrat...

Eleanor M. Fox and Harry First (NYU School of Law) warn that global strategies and political pressures are undercutting the neutral, rule-of-law competition system.

How the Pursuit of Bigness, Geopolitical Hegemony, and Crony Capitalism Are Threatening Antitrust’s Rule of Law - ProMarket Eleanor M. Fox and Harry First warn that global strategies and political pressures are undercutting the neutral, rule-of-law competition system.

Xavier Vives (IESE Business School) argues that to create firms that can compete on the international level, the European Union does not need to ease its merger regime or encourage market power. Rather, encouraging European market integration will allow firms to draw in investment and scale up their operations.

Europe Needs First A Consolidated Internal Market. Business Consolidation May Follow - ProMarket Xavier Vives argues that to create firms that can compete on the international level, the European Union does not need to ease its merger regime or encourage market power. Rather, encouraging European market integration will allow firms to draw in investment and scale up their operations.

NEW on ProMarket: Ariel Ezrachi warns about the rising trend of political instrumentalization of antitrust and competition enforcement and its consequences.

The Political Instrumentalization of Competition and Antitrust Enforcement - ProMarket Ariel Ezrachi warns about the rising trend of political instrumentalization of antitrust and competition enforcement and its consequences.

NEW on ProMarket: Corporate decarbonization policy has stagnated under ideological divisions. Arguing that anthropogenic emissions are driven by customer preferences and that such preferences can shift with improved information, Karthik Ramanna (Blavatnik School of Government) advocates for a new approach: an economy-wide system of reliable and comparable accounts of the embedded emissions in products to allow customers (and investors) to make more-informed decisions aligned with underlying preferences. In part II of his two-part series (read part I here), Ramanna explores the principles of an accounting methodology to provide better greenhouse gas emissions data to business customers and consumers and the reasons why, based on historical precedent, such a system is readily adoptable and likely to prove effective.

A Pro-Market Framework for Driving Decarbonization: Part II - ProMarket Corporate decarbonization policy has stagnated under ideological divisions. Arguing that anthropogenic emissions are driven by customer preferences and that such preferences can shift with improved information, Karthik Ramanna advocates for a new approach: an economy-wide system of reliable and comp...

NEW on ProMarket: Corporate decarbonization policy has stagnated under ideological divisions. Arguing that anthropogenic emissions are driven by customer preferences and that such preferences can shift with improved information, Karthik Ramanna (Blavatnik School of Government) advocates for a new approach: an economy-wide system of reliable and comparable accounts of the embedded emissions in products to allow customers (and investors) to make better-informed decisions aligned with underlying preferences. In the first of two articles, Ramanna discusses why top-down regulatory approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have failed to generate decarbonization at meaningful scales and the virtues of a pro-market approach to incentivizing and enabling greener corporate and consumer behavior.

A Pro-Market Framework for Driving Decarbonization: Part I - ProMarket Corporate decarbonization policy has stagnated under ideological divisions. Arguing that anthropogenic emissions are driven by customer preferences and that such preferences can shift with improved information, Karthik Ramanna advocates for a new approach: an economy-wide system of reliable and comp...