The War Between Monopolies and Populism

Join the Stigler Center for a conversation on the impact of concentrated financial power and consumerism on American politics, the emergence of populism and authoritarianism, and the future of democracy in the US and beyond

Matt Stoller is a fellow at the Open Markets Institute where he focuses on competition policy. He is currently writing a book on monopoly power in the 20th century, Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Populism. Previously, he was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Senate Budget Committee. He also worked in the U.S. House of Representatives on financial services policy, including Dodd-Frank, the Federal Reserve, and the foreclosure crisis. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Vice, and Salon.

Guy Rolnik (moderator) is a clinical associate professor of strategic management at Chicago Booth. For the last 28 years, he has lived and worked at the intersection of business, finance, regulation, politics, and the media. First, as a financial journalist and editor, later as a business entrepreneur and founder of a media company, and in the last decade as a policy entrepreneur—using media as a tool for driving structural reforms in the economy. Rolnik’s work as a founder and chief editor of a leading business newspaper and columnist influenced in a dramatic way the ideas, norms, and values in Israeli political economy and brought about significant changes in regulatory policies and legislation. In this process, he has gained a unique understanding of the interplay of the three worlds: business, regulation, and media.

11:45 a.m. Registration

12:00 p.m. Discussion and Q&A

1:00 p.m. Adjournment

The event will take place in Harper Center Room 104.

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