Completed research

Please note all documents are in pdf format.

2008

• Assessing the effectiveness of potential remedies in consumer markets (April)
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  A report on assessing the effectiveness of potential remedies in consumer markets.

• Interactions between competition and consumer policy (April)
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  An economic perspective on the interactions of competition and consumer policy.

• An evaluation of the impact upon productivity of ending resale price maintenance on books (March)
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  An examination of how the ending of resale price maintenance on books affected productivity in book publishing and retailing.

2007

• Economic analysis of markets characterised by bidding processes (May)
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  The objective of this research is to provide an analytical framework for the competitive assessment of markets where key competitive variables are determined by an auctions or bidding processes.
• Competition in markets with commission rates (January)
  Download report (529 kb)
  Download Annexe (591 kb)
  This report looks at the rationale for using commission rates as a payment mechanism and any impact that their use has on competition and consumer welfare.
  
• The competitive effects of buyer groups (January)
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  This report explores the competitive effects of cooperation between buyers and suggests a framework of analysis to assess these in individual cases.
  
• Productivity and competition (January)
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  This research explores the links between competition and productivity that are identified in academic literature.  It considers the role that competition policy can play in promoting productivity growth, and suggests ways in which productivity analysis can feed into OFT prioritisation.

2006

• Research into the costs of inappropriate intervention/non intervention under Article 82 (September)
  Download report (589 kb)
  Download annexes (2.1 mb)
  The object of this research is to improve the OFT's understanding of the costs of inappropriate competition authority (non) intervention in cases relating to abuse of dominance.  A key aim is a greater understanding of these 'error costs' by type of abuse, industry characteristics and form of competition.

2005

• Selective price cuts and fidelity rebates (July)
  Download report (1,864 kb)
  Download annexes (802 kb)
  The object of this research is to identify the potential anti-competitive effects of such strategies and their potential benefits and to provide practical guidance on how to assess when such conduct is to the detriment of ultimate consumers.
  
• Price comparisons research (July)
  Download cover report (204 kb)
  Download report (1,678 kb)
  The object of this research is to develop our understanding of how consumers react to price advertisements and which factors are influential in this process.
  
• Predicting cartels (Mar)
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  Empirical study into the economic and structural factors that are typically considered to contribute to the formation, maintenance or detection of cartels with a view to informing the assessment of cartels.
  
• Ex-post evaluation of mergers (Mar)
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  Analysis of a sample of mergers that were referred to the Competition Commission for investigation and ultimately unconditionally cleared. Aims to see if there are any lessons that can be drawn that may guide future merger decisions.

2004

• Empirical indicators for market investigations (Sep)
  Download Summary and conclusions (314 kb), Part 1: main report (812 kb), Part 2: main report (1,014 kb)
  Research aims at developing a method of selecting potential areas for market studies.
  
• Assessing the impact of public sector procurement on competition (Sep)
  Download Summary (421kb) Volume 1: main report (1102 kb) Volume 2: case studies (490 kb)
  Preliminary research into the impact of public procurement on competition including an in-depth economic analysis of the relationships between public procurement and competition.

2003

• Assessing profitability in competition policy analysis (July)
  Download discussion paper (744 kb)
  Economic discussion paper 6. The paper is intended to be a 'practitioner's guide' to profitability assessment, targeted at lawyers, economists and generalists. It is also intended to stimulate debate on this increasingly important, and yet relatively unexplored, branch of competition policy analysis. This report was commissioned by the OFT from OXERA.
  
• Switching costs (Apr)
  Download report (651 kb) Annexe A (756kb) Annexe B (584 kb) Annexe C (873 kb)
  Economic discussion paper 5. This report was wriiten by the National Economic Research Associates and jointly commissioned by the OFT and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. It examines the implications of consumer switching costs for the way in which markets work.
  
• A study into certain aspects of the cost of capital for regulated utilities in the UK (Feb)
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  A study into the cost of capital. This is an independent study and does not necessarily reflect the views of either the OFT or the regulators.

2002

• The development of targets for consumer savings arising from competition policy (June)
  Download Part 1 (376 kb) Part 2 (105 kb)
  Economic discussion paper 4. This report suggests an appropriate methodology for quantifying the benefits to consumers that arise from the competition policy work of the OFT.
  
• Innovation and competition policy (Mar)
  Download Part 1 (383 kb) Part 2 (233 kb)
  This paper examines the role and application of competition policy within markets where there is large scale innovation.

2001

• The role of market definition in monopoly and dominance inquiries (July)
  Download report (273 kb)
  Economic discussion paper 2.

2000

• E-commerce and its implications for competition policy (Aug)
  Download report (446 kb)
  Economic discussion paper 1. Research into the possible competition policy implications arising from the growth in e-commerce.

1999

• Merger appraisal in oligopolistic markets (Nov)
  Download report (309 kb)
  Prepared for the OFT by National Economic Research Associates. OFT Research Paper 19.
  
• Quantitative techniques in competition analysis (Oct)
  Download report (322 kb)
  Prepared for the OFT by LECG Ltd. OFT Research Paper 17.

1998

• The welfare consequences of the exercise of buyer power (Sep)
  Download report (137 kb)
  Prepared for the OFT by Paul Dobson, Michael Waterson, and Alex Chu. OFT Research Paper 16.

1997

• Competition in retailing (Sep)
  Download report (344 kb)
  Prepared for the OFT by London Economics. Research Paper 13. Report asks whether the UK competition authorities need to follow a different approach when they assess competition issues involving retailing.
  
• Consumer detriment under conditions of imperfect information (Aug)
  Download report (pdf 298 kb)
  Prepared for the Office of Fair Trading by London Economics.    

1996

• Vertical restraints and competition policy (Dec)
  Download report (179 kb)
  by Paul Dobson and Michael Waterson. Research paper 12.

Please note the following documents are only available in hard copy and can be obtained by phoning 0800 389 3158.

• The assessment of profitability by Competition Authorities (Feb 1997)
  Reviews the significance of supra-normal profits in competition policy and, in particular, the way they correspond to the exploitation of market power and the existence of barriers to entry.
  
• Predatory behaviour in UK competition policy (Nov 1994)
  Economics research paper 5
  Prepared for the OFT by Geoffrey Myers
  
• Barriers to entry and exit in UK competition policy (Mar 1994)
  Economics research paper 2
  Prepared for the OFT by London Economics 
  
• Market Definition in UK competition policy (Feb 1992)
  Economics research paper 1
  Prepared for the OFT by NERA

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