INFER Annual Conference 2002

Current Issues in Competition Theory and Policy

August 30 / 31, 2002 in Bonn, Germany

Conference Objectives

The principle objective of the conference was to encourage economic research and to strengthen contact between applied and academic economics.

Conference Topics

The conference wanted to offer a platform to discuss theoretical developments and practical experiences alike. In theoretical economics different theories try to explain the necessity and the optimal level of competition policy. How can those theories be translated in practical policy? Which effects can competition policy have on macroeconomic indicators like inflation, productivity gains and growth? What has been changed by new developments like globalisation and technological progress?

For a detailed list of topics see the conference programme below.

Participants

The conference was addressed to experienced researchers, recently graduated students and professionals from business, government or non-governmental institutions.

Conference programme

At the evening of August 30, 2002, the conference was opened with four introductory lectures.

• Prof. Martin Hellwig, PhD., Chairman of the German Monopolkommission
  Access to Essential Facilities as a Problem for Competition Policy
   
• Hans-Willi Hefekäuser, Senior Executive Vice President, Government Relations, Competition Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Deutsche Telekom AG
  Competition Policy: The Perspective of an Enterprise
   
• Dr. Andreas Strohm, DG Competition, Merger Task Force, European Commission,
  Application of economic theory in practice: The example of European Merger Control
   
• Dr. Matthias Schürgers, Head of the Economic Policy Department from the German Economic Ministry
  Current Issues in Germanys Competition Policy
   

The following day, accepted papers were presented in two parallel sessions:

Session I: General Trends and Policy Instruments

Chair: Michael H. Stierle, INFER and European Commission, Belgium

• Inter-Jurisdictional Competition
  Dirk Hannowsky

• Competition Policy and Transaction Cost Economics
  Matthias Busse

• Licensing in the Scope of Antitrust Law: An Assessment of Exclusion and
  Collusion Strategies
  Emmanuel Combe, Tek-Ang Lim

• Public Investment as Regulatory Instrument in a Monopolistically Competitive Market
  Iván Barreda-Tarrazona, Aurora García-Gallego, Nikolaos Georgantzís, Vicente Orts-Ríos

• Institutional Aspects of Complex International Competition Policy Arrangements
  Oliver Budzinski

• International Cartels and Competition Policy – What’s Behind the Recent Success?
  Kai Hüschelrath

• Austrian Competition Policy: Past, Present and Future
  Michael Böheim

Session II: Networks and Market Studies

Chair: Michael Pickhardt, Bergische University, Wuppertal, Germany

• Competition and Technical Efficiency of Ukrainian Manufacturing Enterprises
  Iryna Akimova, Alexander Scherbakov

• Network Effects – A Task for Competition Policy?
  Ulrike von Schütz

• Liberalisation of European Network Industries: Towards a new Strategy
  Fabienne Ilzkovitz, Gaëtan Nicodème

• German Natural Gas Market Deregulation: A Never Ending Story?'
  Matthias Niederprüm, Michael Pickhardt

• Predatory Behavior in Air Transport Markets: A Perpetual Challenge to Competition Policy?
  Frank Fichert

• A Model of the Card Payment System and Interchange Fee
  Paul De Grauwe, Laura Rinaldi

• Resale Price Maintenance for Books in Germany and the European Union:
  A Legal and Economic Analysis
  Jürgen G. Backhaus, Reginald Hansen

For the detailed programme with abstracts please click here.

Publication of papers

The papers presented at the conference are published as INFER Research Edition Vol. 8.