Boosting Competition in Ireland

David Rae, Line Vogt and Michael Wise

No 491, OECD Economics Department Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: While Ireland’s economic performance has been impressive, there are too many sectors where producers are shielded from competition, at the expense of consumers. The loss in efficiency from these policies will become more noticeable as Ireland’s growth rate settles down towards more normal levels. International evidence suggests that enhancing competition is an important means for lowering prices and boosting productivity and innovation. This paper reviews the main areas for reform, including retail trade, pharmacies, professional services such as legal and medical services, and various network industries including electricity, telecommunications and inter-city buses. It also appraises the structure and enforcement of competition law.

Dynamiser la concurrence en Irlande Bien que les performances économiques de l’Irlande soient impressionnantes, il subsiste encore trop de secteurs où les producteurs sont protégés de la concurrence, au dépend des consommateurs. Le manque d’efficience résultant de ces politiques devient plus manifeste à mesure que le taux de croissance s’établit à des niveaux plus normaux. D’un point de vue international, tout indique que renforcer la concurrence est un moyen efficace pour réduire les prix et stimuler la productivité et l’innovation. Ce document passe en revue les principaux secteurs à réformer, notamment le commerce de détail, les pharmacies, les services professionnels tels que les services de santé et juridiques, ainsi que divers secteurs de réseaux, en particulier celui de l’électricité, des télécommunications et des bus intercommunaux. Ce document examine aussi la structure et l’application de la loi sur la concurrence.

Keywords: competition; concurrence; construction résidentielle; immobilier; productivity; productivité; regulatory reforms; residential construction; réforme réglementaire; taxe foncière (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K21 L11 L16 L22 L8 L9 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-06-15
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com, nep-eff and nep-law
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