#AcademicRunPlaylist - 1/21/25

Author

Ben Waber
January 21, 2025

A selfie of me in front of a snow-covered forest on a cloudy day. I'm a middle-aged white man with a red beard flecked with white. I'm wearing a black hoodie with the hood up over a grey winter hat. I'm also wearing black sunglasses and a dark grey jacket with a black faux fur collar lining.

We almost hit 0 degrees Fahrenheit today (~17C), and while taking the dogs for quick walks I was also able to listen to some talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an excellent discussion with Martin Husovec on interpreting the DSA through the prism of the DMA at the Digital Markets Research Hub. Husovec identifies both complementary and potentially conflicting aspects of these regulations, raising important questions. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKOYjUHZo68

Next was an amazing talk by Mike Whinston on the roles, successes, and failures of economic theory and empirical research on the practice of antitrust at the Toulouse School of Economics. Whinston clearly lays out how economics has traditionally viewed potential antitrust concerns, gaps in that approach, and recent cases in the US. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2cqK77EwPI

Next was an interesting panel on the state and future of food delivery in Nigeria at Moonshot by TechCabal with Yinka Adewuyi, Guy Futi, and Kennedy Offor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4npPbJgeTBI

Last was "A History of American Higher Education" by John Thelin, who has assembled a formidable, incisive, and extremely engaging work of scholarship on the US higher education industry. Starting with the colonial period and moving until 2019 in the latest edition, Thelin catalogues and analyzes the development of these institutions from a variety of perspectives - financial, admissions processes, the development of research, philanthropic connections, the growth of administration and college sports revenue, and so much more.

Beyond learning a ton about the path the sector took to get where it is today and other potential paths that could be taken, there are a ton of fascinating tidbits included throughout the book. Did you know that the University of Kentucky was originally called Transylvania University? Or that colleges attempted to raise more revenue by selling tickets to lectures? This book is an absolute delight. Highly recommend