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The University of Amsterdam's recently held a successful two-day academic event focusing on power problems and policy solutions. The event looked at ways to restore competition in digital platform markets. The programme consisted of 3 sessions featuring leading experts, research presentations, and open discussion.
Event details of Digital Platform Competition
Start date
22 May 2025
End date
23 May 2025

This event is now closed, but the programme, presentations and other outcomes can be viewed below.

Big Tech platforms have become an inseparable part of our daily lives—shaping how we communicate, access information, and make decisions. However, the natural monopoly dynamics of digital platform markets have concentrated immense powers in the hands of just a few private entities. For-profits have developed closed, shielded, and incompatible ecosystems that allow their owners to capture users and benefit. Positive platform externalities have allowed tipping to Big Techs that need not fear entry or rivalry. While the disciplining force of competition could foster better alternatives and greater choice, it remains constrained by structural barriers and anticompetitive practices. 

Day 1 – Thursday 22 May

Session 1: Big Tech Power and Policy

09:30–12:00 | Aula, University of Amsterdam

On Thursday morning, internet expert and open source advocate Marleen Stikker (Waag Futurelab/HvA) and digital platform economist and behavioural theorist Paul Heidhues (DICE) presented their latest thinking on digital platform power problems, ecosystems theories of harm, and possible remedies to help restore open, free, and competitive online services.

Programme

  • 9:30 Registration and coffee
  • 10:00 Opening by chair Maarten Pieter Schinkel (UvA)
  • 10:15–11.00  Marleen Stikker (Waag Futurelab/HvA) – How to Reclaim the Internet

Paul Heidhues presentation slides can be viewed here.

Inspiration

The opening of the new Amsterdam Center for Digital Competition inspired one participant to produce an Australian rock-song based on the lyrics of ABBA's 'Breaking up is never easy', that can be found here. There is also a video of the ABBA Big Tech Breakup-song.

Session 2: PhD Defence of Papers in the Economics of Platforms

14:00–15:30 | Aula, University of Amsterdam

Following the morning programme, UvA PhD candidate Ruben van Oosten sucessfully defended his thesis titled Papers in the Economics of Platforms

Programme

  • 14:00–15:30 Ruben van Oosten (University of Amsterdam) – Papers in the Economics of Platforms (PDF download).
  • The layman's talk by Ruben van Oosten (in Dutch) can be found here (PDF download)
  • A summary of the dissertation (in Dutch) was published on the SB website and can be read here.

Day 2 – Friday 23 May

Session 3: Tinbergen Institute Workshop on Structural Remedies for Restoring Platform Competition

09:00–12:00 | Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam

On Friday morning, the Tinbergen Institute hosted academics who presented their latest research on platform market power and structural remedies to restore competition.

Programme

Additional details about the workshop can be found on the Tinbergen Institute website.

Organisation

This event was organised by the UvA's Amsterdam Center for Digital Competition (ACDC) and the Tinbergen Institute.

Amsterdam Center for Digital Competition (ACDC)

The Amsterdam Center for Digital Competition (ACDC) is a new, not-for-profit and certainly not dominant research platform at University of Amsterdam that seeks to bring together academics, leading thinkers, and policymakers to discuss cutting-edge research on digital platforms, market structures, and regulatory interventions. Hosted by the University of Amsterdam, the event provides a forum for in-depth discussions on competition policy and structural remedies in digital markets.

Tinbergen Institute (TI)

Tinbergen Institute is the graduate school and research institute in economics and business, jointly operated by the schools of economics of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).

Questions

For further questions or inquiries, please contact the organisers, Sander Onderstal, Maarten Pieter Schinkel, and Ruben van Oosten, at events-ase@uva.nl.