8 December 2017  Paris

‌Public markets, such as those in health, education and the provision of various public services, make up a large part of the economy, and the quality and efficiency of the services that they provide are fundamental to a countries ability to achieve inclusive growth. Yet these markets attract relatively little attention from competition authorities in many countries. It is well established  that important market failures can arise in these services if markets are left entirely to themselves. These markets therefore tend to be heavily subsidised by governments, and highly regulated. Nevertheless, careful use of choice and competition in these markets has been shown to help improve quality and efficiency. As a result, competition agencies would appear to have opportunities to advocate for a broader role for competition in these markets, to provide expert advice on the design and regulation of those markets that do exist, and to enforce within these markets.

In December 2017, the Global Forum on Competition held a special presentation on the topic and opened up for discussion on issues concerning the role of choice, competition in public markets and the enforcement of competition law in those markets.