Description
Book SynopsisThe fundamental goal of competition law is to support productivity and innovativeness; in fact, the short-term effect of enforcement actions is often a reduction in product prices. This comprehensive book reports the findings of consumer market studies into a range of goods and services in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
These country case studies demonstrate the important role that competition authorities can have in assessing the nature of markets and making recommendations to policymakers to improve them. When competition is weak or compromised, extra costs are imposed on consumers. The authors investigate this issue for a wide range of key markets serving consumers individually or collectively, looking also at the hinterland of the distribution chain behind retail sales. They find a pervasive lack of competition in those markets, which not only softens the incentives on firms to improve the efficiency of their operations and the quality of their products, but also reduces the standard of living of consumers, including poor and vulnerable groups. This book concludes by noting the follow-up actions taken in each country in response to the research recommendations.
Graduate students of economics, political science and law will find this book invaluable for its practical case studies, and analysts will find much interest in the nuanced analysis of markets, policy interventions and reform options. Emminently practical, Competition Policies and Consumer Welfare is an ideal resource for competition practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve current competition regimes.
Trade Review'This excellent study is a useful and interesting analysis of how competition works at ground level for basic products in poorer countries. As such, it is both a good read and an important contribution to an under researched area.' --Allan Fels, University of Melbourne, Australia
Table of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction Lahcen Achy and Susan Joekes Section I THE DISTRIBUTION OF FOODSTUFFS 2. An assessment of anticompetitive conduct in the supermarkets sector in Costa Rica Randall Arce Alvarado, Donald Miranda Montes and Guillermo Zúñiga Arias 3. The consumer goods distribution sector in Armenia Karine Poladyan 4. The market in cereals in Mali Oumar Idriss Berthe, Massa Coulibaly, Salifou B. Diarra and Martin Sidibe 5. Production and distribution in the beef, poultry and milk sectors in Zambia Thulasoni Kaira, Samuel Bwalya, Wesley S. Kalapula and Florence Banda Muleya Section II THE DISTRIBUTION OF PHARMACEUTICALS 6. The distribution of pharmaceuticals in Jamaica Kevin Harriott 7. The pharmaceuticals sector in Vietnam Que Anh Pham and Tran Phuong Lan Section III THE DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICES: INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFERS AND TV PROGRAMMES 8. International money transfer services in Uzbekistan Golib Kholjigitov 9. TV distribution services in Argentina Germán Coloma, Federico Bekerman, Cecilia Castets and Marcelo D’Amore Section IV PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 10. Public procurement in India Nitya Nanda, Shiju M.V. and Gaurang Meher Diljun 11. Public procurement in Morocco Lahcen Achy and Susan Joekes Index
