Business Talk with Mathias Laffont

We are delighted to welcome Mathias Laffont, Deputy Delegate General, The Union of the French Electricity Industry for a Business Talk on Thursday, November 7, who will talk about "An Economist's Role in Lobbying:  Addressing the Issue of Negative Price".

Summary:  

After two more “traditional” roles for an economist at regulatory authorities (the French Competition Authority and the French Transport Regulator), I joined one of the major trade associations (a polite way to describe a lobby) in the electricity sector, returning to a field characterized by constant, dynamic change. Working as a lobbyist is not an obvious path for students pursuing an M2 or PhD in economics, especially in a sector often led by engineers (frequently from prestigious French “Grandes Ecoles”) or public affairs experts. However, the analytical methods taught at TSE offer alternative approaches to tackling political challenges. To illustrate this, I will discuss a growing and somewhat counterintuitive issue we face: the challenge of negative prices.

Business Talk followed by a Cocktail Meet up!