The next administration’s volatility may be bad for business.
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
** “Innovation Demands Regulatory Stability, Not Chaos”
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The arrival of a second Trump term has delighted much of corporate America, whose executives expect their profits to soar as the administration abandons the Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter–led antitrust efforts of the past four years. But “C-suite leaders should be careful what they wish for,” Niko Lusiani, Roosevelt’s director of corporate power, writes ([link removed]) in Washington Monthly. The Trump era “might feel more business-friendly until, rapidly and unpredictably, it is not.”
If Trump’s past is precedent, the next four years could see more instability and rampant favoritism. An antitrust strategy “based more on volatility than reason” would stifle “the innovation businesses claim to champion,” Lusiani argues. “Regulators pursuing penalties without a transparent rationale turn companies defensive.”
As a result of this unpredictability, it’s unclear what the new administration will do with the federal government’s active battles against Big Tech—such as those against Google. The tech giant has been accused of paying off rivals to keep its search engine dominant, which allows it to “extract value from its customers by reducing its quality and increasing its prices,” Lusiani and Roosevelt Fellow Ketan Ahuja write for MSNBC ([link removed]) . While banning such payments could “restore the incentives of distribution partners such as Apple and Samsung to compete with Google,” such a remedy wouldn’t go as far as to “give newcomers access to distribution channels and other capabilities they need to actually innovate.” (Ahuja expands on this concept in a Roosevelt brief ([link removed]) released in June.)
Last month, the DOJ proposed in its antimonopoly suit against Google that the company sell its web browser, Chrome, to reduce its dominance over online search. While this is a promising start, Lusiani and Ahuja write that actually fueling competitive, innovative search engines will require a business model for internet browsers that serves internet users, not corporate backers.
If it’s innovation companies claim to want, it’s competition they must abide by. And as Lusiani asserts in Washington Monthly, “Innovation demands regulatory stability, not chaos.”
** Undergrads: Join the Roosevelt Network
------------------------------------------------------------
Applications for the Roosevelt Network’s three undergraduate policy fellowships ([link removed]) close this Sunday, December 8. If you have any aspiring policy professionals studying economics, political science, or related fields in your professional communities, encourage them to apply for one of the Network’s opportunities, which are tailored to students near the beginning ([link removed]) , middle ([link removed]) , and end ([link removed]) of their college careers.
For applicants interested in learning more or those considering applying next cycle, join the Network for its 2025 Winter Policy Expo ([link removed]) , which will be held virtually on January 17 from 2:00–5:00 pm. Roosevelt staff will be joined by fellows as well as Network alumni, who have gone on to pursue graduate degrees in law, policy, and economics and start careers at government offices, political parties, research firms, nonprofits, and more.
Apply to fellowships ([link removed])
Register for the Policy Expo ([link removed])
** What We're Talking About
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
Share This Tweet ([link removed])
** What We're Reading
------------------------------------------------------------
Millions from Tax Refunds Go to Pay Fees, Report Finds ([link removed]) - feat. Roosevelt Fellow Portia Allen-Kyle - Washington Post
Elon Musk Wants to 'Delete' the CFPB. Could He? ([link removed]) - feat. Roosevelt Fellow Todd Phillips - American Banker
People on Breathing Machines Struggle Without Power After Weather Disasters ([link removed]) - feat. Roosevelt Fellow Diana Hernandez - Associated Press
US Looks to End Subminimum Wage for Workers with Disabilities ([link removed]) - CBS News
============================================================
Join the Conversation
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** LinkedIn ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
** Update your preferences ([link removed])
. Tell us which emails you want to receive!
If you are interested in supporting the Roosevelt Institute, ** click here ([link removed])
.
Copyright © 2024 Roosevelt Institute, all rights reserved.
570 Lexington Ave, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10022
rooseveltinstitute.org
If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, ** click here ([link removed])
.
