Towards Competition In Network Industries

Competition in network industries faces particular problems which are analyzed from both a theoretical and policy perspective. Issues of vertical integration, deregulation and privatization are covered. While competition and privatization are rapidly unfolding in telecommunications in Western and Eastern Europe, energy and railway transportation represent sectors of more gradual liberalization. The different market characteristics of telecommunications, energy and transportation raise consistency problems in the fields of deregulation, investment strategies and internationalization. While transformation policies create opportunities for liberalization in Eastern Europe and Russia the latter shows critical problems in ending monopoly and state ownership. Network industries could be subject to competition and promise major investment opportunities plus consumer benefits.

This book presents a comprehensive review of the vast economic literature covering the governance issues of network industries and suggests paths to improve their efficiences.

The promotion of competition in Europe's network industries has been in the foreground of economic policy in recent years. Network industries have undergone dramatic changes, involving privatisation, liberalisation and de- as well as re-regulation. But there are still many unresolved problems in both economic policy as well as economic research. Hence, a vivid exchange between academics and policy makers has emerged to find the optimal framework for these industries. This volume contributes to this discussion, containing several papers on various network industries.

April 1996 Debate about whether and how to introduce competition in network industries -- including transport, power, and telecommunications -- is sometimes heated. Klein contends that in case of doubt, policymakers should not restrict the entry of competitive firms in such networks. If they do, he says that entry restrictions should be subject to an automatic test after a set period, and reviewed for costs and benefits. A wave of privatization is sweeping the globe, affecting about 100 countries and adding up to an average of more than $60 billion a year in business in the past decade. The challenge is to ensure that privatization yields clear benefits. Empirical studies suggest that ownership change by itself will often yield results, especially when it reduces government interference. But the regulation required in areas of natural monopoly can become overly intrusive and undermine progress. Real competition is required to generate sizable and lasting welfare improvements. But in infrastructure sectors, the introduction of competition is complicated by the existence of complex transport and communications networks. Debate about whether and how to introduce competition in network industries is sometimes heated. Certain questions recur: Will continuing regulation be needed? Whether and at what terms will private finance be forthcoming? Klein argues that policymakers need to understand how competitive forces can be brought to bear in network industries. He explains: * Common principles that are often lost in technical debates about specific sectors. * Various methods for introducing competition in network industries (sketching broad regulatory requirements along the way). * Competition for the market, and bidding for franchises. * Options for competition for existing networks, including open access arrangements, pooling of homogeneous services such as electricity and natural gas, and timetabling (the competitive determination of service delivery for nonhomogeneous services that need to be sent to specific endpoints). * Options for expanding competitive systems by decentralizing investment in new network capacity. * The option of allowing competition among multiple networks. * The implications of these options for the sectors and for financing industry expansion. In case of doubt, he contends, policymakers should not restrict the entry of competitive firms in such networks. If they do, entry restrictions should be subject to an automatic test after a set period, and reviewed for costs and benefits. This paper is a product of the Private Sector Development Department.

Debate about whether and ...

While particularly dynamic and innovative, the digital and telecommunication industries are found to have a great tendency towards concentration, resulting in strong market power and raising concerns from competition and regulatory authorities. In this study focusing on such network industries, Jean-Marc Zogheib explores the interplay between public policy and firms' strategies by combining various tools of theoretical economic analysis adopted from industrial economics, network economics, and platform economics. Mr. Zogheib's thesis consists of three distinct essays: the first chapter examines how merger policy affects firms' entry strategies, the second chapter shifts the focus to public intervention by considering how the coexistence of private and public players affects competition and investment, while the third chapter investigates the role of privacy in competition between digital platforms and the importance of consumer data in the competitive analysis of mergers. This book clearly illustrates how economics can contribute essential building blocks to the construction of competitive reasoning and how the integration of competition law into economic models extended their collective utility. An important read for lawyers and economists alike. The book was awarded the inaugural Concurrences PhD Award in Economics.

This book introduces upper-level undergraduates to network economics, the fastest-growing area of industry.