During the pandemic and its aftermath, the world witnessed a revival of new narratives and strategies related to industrial policy in a geopolitically competitive environment. We invite Angela Wigger to reflect on the history of competition policy in the EU and provide a deeper understanding of the latest “come-back” of EU industrial policy. She will explain how EU competition policy is enshrined in the shift towards a neoliberal order since the 1980s. Angela will provide a perspective on contemporary competition policy since the financial crisis, reflecting on the role of political institutions like the European Commission.

We will further ask Angela:

• How should we understand the concept of “competition” in the context of the EU?
• Whose interests do the EU’s competition policy serve, both in terms of industries and geopolitical actors?
• Are alternative types of competition policy feasible, and how should we shape them?

Angela Wigger is an associate professor on Global Political Economy at the Radboud University in Nijmegen (the Netherlands). She researches capitalist crises from a historical materialist perspective. Focal points are the geopolitics of EU industrial and antitrust policy, industrial re-shoring attempts, the “competitiveness” fetish, internal devaluation and debt-led accumulation in the age of rentier capitalism.

She wrote “The Politics of European Competition Regulation. A Critical Political Economy Perspective” (with H. Buch-Hansen, 2011, Routledge/RIPE) and published in journals like New Political Economy, New Political Science, RIPE, JCMS, Economy & Society, Globalizations, Geoforum, Capital & Class, Ephemera, and many more.

You can get in touch with Angela via this address: [email protected] Follow Angela here on X: @AngelaWigger

About Crash Course Economics

Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/

Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/366770/110811319736730927/share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this episode we do a deep dive into the realm of Big Pharma. As with Big Tech, this industry epitomises large-scale rentier income extraction by corporations. Despite the industry's assertions that the costs associated with drug research and development justify high prices, the stark reality of profit margins unveils a different narrative.

We will further ask Nick:

• How did pharmaceutical companies transform over the past decades, and what implications does this have for the accessibility of medicines?
• What characterizes the business model of Big Pharma, and why should this be a matter of concern for us all?
• What is a pathway toward change in the pharmaceutical landscape? Which stakeholders should play a role, and what specific changes are imperative for progress?

For over 20 years Nick Dearden has been a campaigner against corporate globalisation and for global economic justice. He is also the director of the British NGO Global Justice Now. Last October, he published his latest book on the pharmaceutical industry: Pharmanomics. How Big Pharma Destroys Global Health.

About Crash Course Economics

Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/

Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/366770/110811319736730927/share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

Embark on a journey encompassing Brett Christophers' latest three books in this Crash Course Episode. He provides a comprehensive overview of the ascent of rentier capitalism, observed in diverse forms across political economies, and hones in on the pivotal role of asset managers in value extraction and shaping a rentier economy.

Key questions we will explore with Brett:

• What exactly are rents, and what sets them apart from profits within the capitalist framework? Why is this distinction crucial?
• How has the landscape of asset management evolved, and where does it fit into the broader narrative of the rise of rentier capitalism?
• In the pursuit of decarbonisation, what obstacles arise due to the dominance of monopolists in various sectors of our economies?

Brett Christophers is professor of human geography at Uppsala University’s Institute for Housing and Urban Research. He published over six books covering various aspects of Western capitalism. For our talk we focus on his three latest books published by Verso, ‘Rentier Capitalism: Who Owns the Economy, and Who Pays for It?’,’ Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World’, The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet

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About Crash Course Economics

Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move

out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards

achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in

lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how

to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/

Newsletter:

https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/366770/110811319736730927/share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by

Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)

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About Crash Course Economics

Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/

Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/366770/110811319736730927/share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this first Crash Course episode of the new series, we invite writer-activist Cory Doctorow to explore the rise of Rentier and Monopoly Capitalism in the tech sector. Is the platform economy in the last phase of what he calls Enshittification?

We will ask him:

• How do big tech companies lock out competition and lock in users?
• To explain his concept of Enshittification and relate it to the rise of Rentier and Monopoly Capitalism.
• Are there historical parallels to the current trend? If so, what can we learn from them?
• Are we entering a new phase of capitalism where the rentier is at the top of the food chain? If platform and productive capital interests are at odds, what possibilities exist for workers and consumers to exploit this rift?
• How do we stop further corporate consolidation and monopoly power and build back a different economy?

Cory Doctorow is an activist and journalist. He writes seemingly non-stop about the internet, the future, radical changes in property rights and alternative futures. His work includes children’s books, fiction and non-fiction.

Topics include How to disassemble Big Tech, Creative labour markets and monopolies, and How to destroy surveillance capitalism. He is also known for his website, Pluralistic.net.

He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. He was born in Toronto, Canada, and now lives in Los Angeles, USA.

Check out more on Cory Doctorow on Pluralistic.net or Craphound.com

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About Crash Course Economics

Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/

Newsletter: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/366770/110811319736730927/share

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this special one-off we focus on European fiscal policy, following FiscalMatters' week of debate in which the future of the EU fiscal framework is discussed: “Too often important policy decisions happen behind closed doors. We need an open and accessible debate on Europe’s fiscal future”.

Together with Ludovic Suttor-Sorel from Finance Watch we look at the current EU fiscal rules and how they should change in order to face the challenges we face regarding climate change, a just transition, rising inequality, unemployment and public health. How can we, civil society, academics and social and environmental activists contribute to fiscal policy for the good?

• What are the main problems of the current EU fiscal rules, and to what extent to they hinder countries to make the necessary investments to build resilient green economies?
• What kind of EU fiscal framework do we need to tackle the main challenges of the 21st century?
• What other instruments should the EU use to promote more convergence between the member states, and is this all feasible within the euro?

Ludovic Suttor-Sorel is a Research and Advocacy officer. Ludovic works on fiscal policy, sustainable finance, natural capital and the nexus between biodiversity and finance.

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

Innovation economist and digital policy expert Francesca Bria joins us to talk about her experiences trying to counter the power of Big Tech and using technology for democratic decision making. Bria is the former CTO of the City of Barcelona and has been leading European Research and Innovation projects related to digital sovereignty, digital democracy and crypto platforms.

In 2015 local elections in Spain were spectacular and radical democratic local forums won in many places and in some of the largest cities (Barcelona, Madrid, and others). Most prominent was the victory in Barcelona under the umbrella of Barcelona en Comú, and with the urban activist Ada Colau as mayor Francesca Bria became Barcelona’s Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer and has developed programs to curb the power of the tech giants and to use technology for democratic decision making. One of the international organisations that Francesca helped to develop was the Decode Project (https://decodeproject.eu/) with the aim to provide tools that put individuals in control of whether they keep their personal information private or share it for the public good.

Francesca Bria is the President of the Italian National Innovation Fund. She is an Italian information technologist who lectures at various universities and is a consultant to the United Nations and the European Commission.

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this fourth Crash Course episode of the series on Big Tech, Techno-feudalism and Democracy, we take a closer look at how we could resist the enormous and all-encompassing influence Big Tech and platform economies have on our lives. How can we regain control over our individual and collective data as they are being increasingly commodified and traded?

Nandini Chami, deputy director of IT4Change, answers these and other questions and links the rise of Big Tech to growing inequality and development in the Global South. We ask further ask Chami:

• How is Big Tech deepening the geographies of inequality?
• What are the governance deficits at the global level that are exacerbating data colonialism?
• What are the new policy pathways that we need, in order to reclaim our data from Big Tech enclosures? 

Nandini Chami is Deputy Director at IT for Change. She is engaged in policy research and advocacy at the intersections of digital policy, development justice and gender equality. Her research interests are data justice, inclusive platform economies, and gender and digital trade. She co-leads the Digital Justice project, a collaboration between IT for Change and Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era network (www.dawnnet.org) on gender equality in the digital economy and she is co-investigator of Policy frameworks for the platform economy, an IDRC-supported multi-country research study on platform governance models for the global South.

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this third episode, we discussed the challenges that Big Tech confronts us with in terms of regulation. The platform economy has fundamentally changed our societies and has made more and more citizens dependent on less and less companies. Due to lobbying efforts as well as ignorance and incompetence on many policy levels, this sector has massively expanded without much government oversight. The US has started talking about splitting up Facebook, but critics warn that this is not sufficient.

Farwa Sial zoomed in on the regulatory problems and trends that intellectual monopolies and the platform economy have raised. We asked her:

• How has the lack of data regulation enabled the rise of Big Tech?
• Why are the current competition policy frameworks falling short of regulating intellectual monopolies?
• What kind of regulation do we need to regain control and empower the public domain?

Farwa Sial is a Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer in Development Finance at Eurodad and a Research Fellow at the Global Development Institute (GDI) University of Manchester. She is the steering group member of Diversifying and Decolonising Economics (D-econ) and the Association of Heterodox Economics. Her research focuses on comparative development, Industrial policy, corporations and the evolving dynamics of late-capitalism in the context of financialization and technological development. 

Twitter @farwasial

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

In this second Crash Course episode of the series on Big Tech, Techno-feudalism and Democracy, we will zoom in on intellectual property. We have invited political economist Cecilia Rikap to explain where intellectual property comes from, what its role is in fabricating monopoly power, and why it is important to understand the rise of Big tech and Big Pharma. 

Rodrigo and Sara asked Rikap: 

• Is ‘intellectual monopoly capitalism’ a new accumulation regime? 
• And how does it change the rules of the game? 
• How does intellectual monopoly capitalism fit in the growing geo-political struggle between the US and China?

Cecilia Rikap is a political economist, researcher CONICET, Univ de Paris & COSTECH Univ Tech Compiègne. She studies the rising concentration of intangible assets, focusing on power relations and the distribution of data and innovation economic gains, resulting geopolitical tensions, and the effects on knowledge commons & development. Rikap just finished her new book Capitalism, Power and Innovation: Intellectual monopoly capitalism uncovered.

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) 

• What are the key concepts to understand the age of technoscientific capitalism? 
• Have we seen similar socio-economic transformations and rapid technological change before, or are we on uncharted terrain? 
• How does the rise of Big Tech relate to the financialization of capitalism and neoliberalism more generally?

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About Crash Course Economics
Crash Course is a platform designed to open up debate on how we can move out of the current crisis and make the necessary steps towards achieving social, economic, ecological and regenerative justice.

Crash Course is inviting global experts to break down complex issues in lay terms and make them accessible to all so that we can understand how to shape our economic system for a just recovery and future.

Website: https://crashcourseeconomics.org/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g54ZMD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3cbKwed48Bu7dkQDVjRQA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrashEconomics

Music credit: "Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails, "Tribal Remix" by Imnotlouis (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)