Shaping Competition in the Digital Age (SCiDA)

Episode 27- Liana Japaridze and Ece Ban - Brussels effect in action: Competition Law in Digital Markets from the Caucasus and Türkiye

In this episode, Anush Ganesh and Kena Zheng are joined by Dr Liana Japaridze (Lecturer in Competition Law, University of Glasgow) and Ece Ban (DPhil candidate, University of Oxford) to explore how competition law travels across borders and adapts to the challenges of digital markets. Liana discusses her pioneering work on legal transplants of competition frameworks from the EU and the US into the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, including the creation of the first Georgian-language textbook on competition law. Ece draws on her experience as a qualified lawyer at the Istanbul Bar to examine the Turkish Competition Authority's approach to platform dominance, data-driven conduct, and algorithmic practices, and whether a DMA-inspired conversation is taking shape in Türkiye. She also presents her research on how regulation functions as an input in abuse analysis under Article 102 TFEU, proposing a "reality check" framework for managing the growing overlap between competition law, the DMA, and the GDPR. The conversation moves from the maturity of digital markets in the Caucasus and Türkiye to the broader question of whether Article 102 will stagnate in the shadow of the DMA or continue to evolve alongside it, with particular attention to jurisdictions that must rely on abuse of dominance provisions alone.

Episode 26 - Xingyu Yan- Bridging Brussels and Beijing: Interoperability, Institutional Design, and Digital Markets Regulation

In this episode, Anush and Kena are joined by Dr Xingyu Yan, Assistant Professor at Xiamen University School of Law and recipient of the ASCOLA Best Paper Award in 2021 for his work "Towards a More Competitive Mobile Payment Industry: Standardization and Beyond." Xingyu's research bridges European and Chinese competition law, offering a genuinely comparative perspective on how different legal systems respond to the challenges posed by digital platforms. The conversation covers Xingyu's work on interoperability mandates under Article 7 of the Digital Markets Act, where he and Yang Feng propose an "ecosystems competition" framework drawing on the Chinese experience with platforms like WeChat. We also discuss his joint work with Hans Vedder on operationalising the special responsibility of dominant undertakings under Article 102 TFEU through a minimum efficient scale test, and the central arguments of his recent book, "Competition Law in China and the EU: Institutional Dynamics and Theories of Harm," which examines how the contrasting institutional structures of the EU and Chinese enforcement regimes shape the development of theories of harm in practice. The episode closes with a broader discussion of whether ex ante regulation through instruments like the DMA represents a necessary evolution or risks undermining traditional ex post competition law enforcement.

Episode 25- Andrew Mclean - Innovation, Structural Remedies and the Rhetoric of Big Tech

In this episode, Anush and Jasper sit down with Dr Andrew McLean, Lecturer in Law and Political Economy at Edinburgh Law School and director of the Edinburgh Competition Law and Economics Network. He was also awarded the Best Junior paper at ASCOLA 2020 for his paper titled, "A Financial Capitalism Perspective on Start-up Acquisitions." Andrew's forthcoming book "Antitrust and the Age of Asset Management" is due out from Harvard University Press later this year, and his article "Innovation against Change" in the Journal of Antitrust Enforcement has drawn attention for identifying a "rhetoric of innovation" that functions as a modern defence of monopoly power. The conversation covers Andrew's 'economic goodwill test' for start-up acquisitions and whether it captures the wave of AI acqui-hires reshaping the tech sector, his concept of 'techno-conservatism' as the intellectual successor to the Chicago School, the role of Hirschman's "Rhetoric of Reaction" in understanding how innovation arguments influence courts and regulators. We also discuss the case for structural remedies in digital markets in light of the AT&T breakup and ongoing proceedings against Google, and what it means for competition law to engage with the qualitative direction of innovation rather than just its quantity. Andrew also previews his new work on venture capital through a competition lens.

Episode 24- Zihao li and Jiahong Chen - The Accuracy Paradox: AI Hallucination, Regulation, and the EU-China Divergence

Anush Ganesh and Kena Zheng speak with Dr Zihao Li (University of Glasgow) and Dr Jiahong Chen (University of Sheffield) about their recent paper (with Weiwei Yi) challenging the dominant regulatory approach to AI hallucination. Rather than treating hallucination as a simple failure of factual accuracy, Zihao and Jiahong develop a layered taxonomy that includes sycophancy, consensus illusion, oversimplification, and prompt-sensitivity effects, and argue that hyper-optimising for accuracy may paradoxically deepen the very harms regulators seek to prevent. The conversation examines the EU AI Act, the GDPR, and the DSA before turning to a substantial comparative discussion of China's generative AI regulatory framework, including the Interim Measures for Generative AI Services and earlier rules on deep synthesis and algorithmic recommendation. The episode explores where the European and Chinese approaches converge around accuracy as a regulatory anchor and where they part ways in terms of institutional design and content governance. The discussion closes with Zihao and Jiahong's proposals for moving beyond accuracy toward epistemic trustworthiness, and whether pluralism, confidence calibration, and reflective design can gain traction amid growing pressures around AI competitiveness. Here is a link to their paper published with Computer Law and Security Review- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212473X26000520

Episode 23- Jan Blockx - Meta-Regulation, DMA Compliance, and the Future of Digital Markets Policy

Anush Ganesh and Kena Zheng speak with Jan Blockx, Assistant Professor at the University of Antwerp and member of the Belgian Competition Authority's decision-making body, about the Digital Markets Act and its enforcement record. Drawing on Jan's research in JECLAP and his recent working paper on meta-regulation, the conversation explores whether the DMA has delivered on its promise to address platform power more effectively than traditional antitrust tools, how gatekeepers are navigating the procedural compliance apparatus, and whether the structural tension between regulatory objectives and platform incentives undermines the entire meta-regulatory approach. The discussion also covers the interaction between DMA obligations and Article 102 TFEU enforcement, the case for decentralised enforcement through national competition authorities, and whether the Commission's Digital Omnibus proposals represent meaningful simplification or a retreat from regulatory ambition. Lastly, Jan also discusses the need for EU tech sovereignty on the back of a recent conference he co-organised at the University of Antwerp.