Competition Policy, Competitiveness, and Investment in a Global Economy: The Asian Experience

 
Organized by the World Bank Group (Private Sector Development & Foreign Investment Advisory Service, Private Sector Development Vice-Presidency, and South Asia Finance and Private Sector Development Department) in cooperation with the European Commission
 

It is increasingly recognized that a sound business climate – in which investors face relatively low entry and exit barriers and are protected against the risk of expropriation and abuse, while consumers are protected against business malpractices – is a springboard for economic growth and poverty reduction. The enactment of competition law and its enforcement by specialized agencies is a key component in this dynamics. Competition law and policy (CLP) would result in equity among producers, reduce rent -seeking behaviour, complement the implementation of national economic policies and lead to employment and economic benefits to all segments of society. The number of countries having these two elements in place has risen from 35 in 1995 to around 100 – not counting those nations such as India, South Africa and the UK that have revamped their old competition laws to cope with changing realities.

The general objective of the conference is to analyse the relationship between competition, productivity, competitiveness, economic growth and poverty reduction – what is/is not known – and review the state of competition policy in South & South-East Asia (including China) region. Specific objectives include:

i) to review the nature of public and private restraints to domestic and international competition;

ii) to analyze the extent to which the existing institutional framework (liberalization of trade, investment, licensing, entry-exit of firms, competition law-policy, and their inter -face, effectiveness and limitations) provides adequate instruments (policies, laws, skills, and institutions) to promote competition;

iii) to appraise the actual functioning of the regime, in particular through the discussion of selected case studies in the region and elsewhere;

iv) to provide recommendations on how best to incorporate competition policy into broad-based investment and PSD promotion policies; and 

v) to evaluate instruments for international cooperation, capacity, and institution building.

Agenda
Session I: Competition, Growth and Poverty Reduction in a Modern Economy

• Nitya Nanda, Consumer Unity & Trust Society, India (Presentation)
• Stefan Amarasinha, European Commission, DG Trade
  Session II: Framework of Modern Competition Law – Policy
• Rughvir (Shyam) Khemani, Advisor, Competition Policy, Investment Climate Department, The World Bank Group
• Hassan Qaqaya, Chief, Advisory Services and Capacity Building Section, International Trade Division, UNCTAD

Key Note Speech: Economic Reforms and the Business Climate in Sri Lanka by Saman Kelegama, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka
Session III: Cases & Country Experiences

• Shozo Takahashi, Director, Inter-Enterprise Trade Division, Japan Fair Trade Commission
• Junkuo Zhang, Director, Research Institute of Market Economy, Development Research Centre of the State Council, China
• Amitabh Kumar, Director General, Competition Commission of India
• Ratnakar Adhikari, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Nepal
• Andrew Perumal, Senior Research Officer, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka 
• Muhammad Arshad Parwaiz, Monopoly Control Authority, Pakistan (Presentation)

Session IV: Cases and Country Experiences

• Abdul Ghaffar, Monopoly Control Authority, Pakistan (Presentation)
• Ali Taslim, Professor of Economics, University of Dhaka & Chairman, Bangladesh Tariff Commission
• Sung-Ha Kim, Director, M&A Division, Korea Fair Trade Commission
• Mohammad Iqbal, Member, Supervisory Commission for Business Competition, Indonesia
• Fita Aldaba, Philippine Institute of Development Studies

Key Note Address: Competition Law and Policy in a Global Trading System, Frédéric Jenny, Vice-President, Conseil de la Concurrence, France & Chairman, WTO Task Force on Trade and Competition

Session V: Competition Advocacy and Regulated Industries

• Rohan Samarajiva, Team Leader, Public Interest Program Unit, Ministry of Economic Reform, Science and Technology & Former Director-General of Telecommunications, Sri Lanka
• Alberto Heimler, Director, Competition Authority of Italy
• Mark Dutz, Senior Economist, South Asia Finance and Private Sector Development Department, The World Bank

Session VI: Private Sector Perspectives on Competition Policy

• Andrea Goldstein, Senior Investment Policy Officer, Foreign Investment Advisory Service, The World Bank Group
• Hemanta Dabadi, Executive Director, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry
• Malik Fernando, MJF Group, Sri Lanka
• Nihad Kabir, Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed and Associates
• Sunil Wijesinha, Chairman, Dankotuwa Porcelain Ltd., Sri Lanka

Session VII: Global Competition Issues

• Simon Evenett, Lecturer in International Business, Oxford University, United Kingdom
• Stefan Amarasinha, European Commission, DG Trade
• Rob Anderson, World Trade Organization (Presentation)
• Philip Marsden, Director, The Competition Law Forum & Senior Research Fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, United Kingdom (Presentation)

Session VIII: General Discussion and Conclusion

• Rughvir (Shyam) Khemani, Advisor, Competition Policy, Investment Climate Department, The World Bank Group
• Andrea Goldstein, Senior Investment Policy Officer, Foreign Investment Advisory Service, The World Bank Group