7th Annual OECD Global Forum on Competition
Paris, France
22 February 2008
Hosted By: the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
NERA Director Dr. Mark Williams, who leads NERA's European Competition Policy Practice in London and Brussels, spoke at the seventh OECD Global Forum on Competition at the OECD in Paris on 22 February 2008. In his presentation -- "Do Switching Costs Really Reduce Competition?" -- Dr. Williams discussed the role of switching costs and aftermarkets in competition policy. Drawing on the well-developed economic analysis of competition in markets with switching costs, Dr. Williams argued that the assumption that switching costs necessarily imply insufficient competition is not correct, and moreover, argued that even when switching costs reduce the extent of ex post competition, their primary impact may be to change the nature of competition rather than eliminate it.
The OECD Global Forum on Competition is an annual event that brings together leading competition policy experts from around the world. Speakers at the 2008 event included Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the OECD; Deborah Majoras, Chair of the US Federal Trade Commission; Frédéric Jenny, Chairman of the OECD Competition Committee, France; and Meglena Kuneva, EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection. Also speaking were heads of competition agencies from around the world, including Mona Yassine, Chair of the Egyptian Competition Authority; Khalid Aziz Mirza, Chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan; and Graciela Ortiz, President of the Competition Chamber of INDECOPI, Peru. A particular theme of the 2008 event was the interaction of consumer policy and competition policy.
For further information about this invitation-only event, please visit the OECD website.
To contact us about this event, please click here.
