Regulation and competition enforcement in digital markets are hot topics as regulators become increasingly concerned about the market power and growing influence of large digital platforms. Philip Marsden shares his thoughts on how best to deal with anticompetitive conduct and transactions in digital markets and the role the OECD can play in designing effective rules and enforcement initiatives.
The competition policy community often focuses on the actions of companies, but the state may also adopt measures that significantly distort the competitive landscape. In the run-up to the 2021 Global Forum on Competition, the OECD’s Jordi Calvet Bademunt and Sophie Flaherty analyse how state intervention can affect competitive neutrality and the main tools available to competition authorities to help ensure a level playing field.
Any investigation by competition authorities of an alleged case of abuse of dominance by firms with substantial market power will be informed, at least in some part, by economics. OECD’s Richard May explores the role economics plays in competition enforcement and highlights some of the complexities and options relating to its effective use in the run-up to the 2021 Global Forum on Competition.
The links and interactions between trade and competition are at the forefront of the international policy debate as governments seek to recover from the human and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. OECD’s Ruben Maximiano and Lorena Giuberti Coutinho share their views on the implications state intervention can have on competition and trade policy.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to bring significant procompetitive consumer benefits but these developments are accompanied by a number of potential risks relating to competition. The OECD's James Mancini highlights some of these risks and looks at competition policy options that can help to ensure that AI reaches its procompetitive potential.
By Mariia Melnyk One of the biggest risks to the integrity and lawfulness of public procurement is bidder collusion, also called bidder conspiracies or cartels. Cartels engage in price fixing and this is often accompanied by a decline in quality and innovation. OECD research shows that public procurement averages around 12% of GDP across OECD … Continue reading Ukraine’s e-procurement system can help Ukrenergo to foster competition and fight bid rigging
Digital platforms may absorb competitors through envelopment acquisitions, to build ecosystems. Daniele Condorelli discusses how some recent envelopment attacks may result from the desire to acquire valuable sources of data rather than products to maintain a position of market power.
Should competition law take sustainable development goals into account and, if so, how can this be done? Julian Nowag highlights that many competition authorities are already addressing these questions and posits that sustainability and competition goals may not necessarily be in conflict ahead of the 2021 OECD Competition Open Day discussion on the topic.
Competition in the digital economy is increasingly a competition between ecosystems. Hardware and software are integrated, Internet of Things devices connect to online services and a few large tech companies offer a very broad range of services often highly integrated with one another. OECD’s Harry Hong sets the scene for the discussions at the 2021 OECD Competition Open Day.
Jill Walker shares her views on economic analysis in merger investigations, emphasising the broad role economists can play.
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