In a new NBER working paper, John M. Barrios, Filippo Lancieri, Joshua Levy, Shashank Singh, Tommaso Valletti, and Luigi Zingales explore the impact of various conflicts of interest on readers’ trust in academic research findings, uncovering significant nuances and implications for academia and policy. Trust in academic research is crucial as academia shapes policies, informs […]| ProMarket
Big Tech’s monopoly over online discourse threatens democracy. “Middleware” promises a path forward by adding competitive, customizable layers of recommendation algorithms. But can middleware decentralize social media without falling prey to old monopolistic patterns? In new research, Madhavi Singh argues that without targeted regulatory guardrails—including mandatory API access, structural separation, and stakeholder empowerment—even middleware could […]| ProMarket
The concentration of news media has spurred concerns about their ability to protect the marketplace of ideas integral to the functioning of democracy. Based on new research, Marcel Garz and Mart Ots discuss why media consolidation may not lead to lower journalistic quality but still affects society through a decline in local news and original content.| ProMarket
ProMarket is the publication of the George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. ProMarket is an academic forum focused on topics of special interest capture, antitrust, political economy, and the future of capitalism. Economists have become increasingly technical and specialized, […]| ProMarket
