ARTICLE: COMPETITION AUTHORITIES - ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS - COOPERATION - FUNDING - GOVERNANCE

Forging links between competition authorities and academic institutions

KEYWORDS

Article to be published in Frédéric Jenny: Standing Up for Convergence and Relevance in Antitrust, Vol. II, N. Charbit and al. (eds.), Concurrences, 2019.

This article explores the scope for cooperation between competition authorities and academic institutions and posits a number of strategies and principles that may serve to enhance cooperative relationships between these categories of institutions. Such cooperation is of particular value in jurisdictions with relatively new competition laws, but it is of great importance in more established jurisdictions as well. The paper underlines the usefulness of (networks of) academic centers for competition (ACCs), which should be actively and materially supported by competition authorities, universities, public bodies and other stakeholders. The paper focuses on how competition authorities can invest in human capital and stimulate the growth and transfer of knowledge by encouraging the creation and development of ACCs; and it discusses several elements germane to ACCs such as interdisciplinarity, funding and governance. It also considers how ACCs may collaborate with each other and with competition authorities. Finally, and building on the discussion of ACCs, the paper highlights ways in which competition authorities and academic institutions can learn from each other and contribute to mutual capacity building.

I. Introduction 1. The present contribution explores the scope for cooperation between competition authorities and academic institutions and posits a number of strategies and principles that may serve to enhance cooperative relationships between these categories of institutions. The a priori observation that such cooperation is necessary derives from a fundamental challenge that faces every competition law jurisdiction, namely, the gap between: the positive ambitions of the competition law regime; and the inertia, ignorance, indifference or staunch resistance to its implementation (and to its redesign or reinforcement if needed to address shortcomings). To a great degree this gap arises from a clash that is historical and cultural in nature. Due to long-established economic and social

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