The problem

In recent years, there has been a surge of international and national initiatives relating to competition law and enforcement. In fact, since 1985, the number of countries with some form of competition law on their statute books has more than doubled. Unfortunately, there has not been a great deal of research on the subject, especially in relation to developing countries. The situation raises enough concerns to merit a comprehensive, empirical and policy-relevant research programme to narrow the gap between the official and academic communities.

Overview:

The project has a national and international focus. It will:

• examine the extent to which failure to take into account competition principles has compromised the benefits of trade and regulatory reforms in developing countries
• develop a database to show the adoption of competition laws around the world, and carry out studies to illustrate how such laws have been introduced in Poland, South Africa and the Ukraine
• analyse what is required for, and the consequences of, interactions between various accords on competition law and enforcement
• assess how regional rules on competition law and regional enforcement bodies affect national activities

Contribution to policy development:

• The project findings will be of interest to policy-makers who are devising and reforming competition laws
• It will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of arguments against the introduction of competition laws
• It will assist in identifying problems faced by developing countries as they implement competition laws
• It will clarify the best way to allocate responsibilities for competition law between national and regional levels

Project deliverables

• Databases: one to show the extent to which tariff reforms have been compromised in various regions of the world; the other containing information on developing countries that have adopted competition laws – February and May 2005
• Paper on claims made by policy-makers and other stakeholders in favour or against the adoption of competition laws in developing countries – January 2005
• Papers on how various countries and international institutions co-operate on competition enforcement matters – March 2005
• Detailed case studies – May and June 2005
• Final policy conference in Paris – October 2005

Dissemination

• Website – November 2005
• Stakeholder workshop – around April 2005
• Conference to discuss the results and policy implications of the research – October 2005
• Non-technical policy briefings – as required

Technical information

Project acronym: CPFTR
Project’s official full title: Competition Policy Foundations for Trade Reform, Regulatory Reform and Sustainable Development
Research priority: 3.1. Underpinning European integration, sustainable development, competitiveness and trade policies (including improved means to assess economic development and cohesion)
Specific webpage: Not yet available
Proposal/contract no: 502564
Start date: 01/10/2004
Kick off meeting: 27/10/2004
Completion date: 30/09/2005
European Commission scientific officer: Ian Perry (ian.perry@ec.europa.eu)

Coordinator:
Name: Centre for Economic Policy Research
Abbreviated name: CEPR
Address: 90-98 Goswell Road
London, EC1V 7RR
Country: United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 20 7878 2900
Fax: +44 20 7878 2999
Website: www.cepr.org

Partners

Name: University of Sussex
Abbreviated name: UoS
Country: United Kingdom

Name: Institute for Economic Research
Abbreviated name: IWH
Country: Germany

Name: CASE-Advisors Ltd
Abbreviated name: CASE
Country: Poland