VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
The Centre for Competition Law and Economics at Stellenbosch University collaborates with the Brussels Centre for Competition Policy at Vrije Universiteit Brussel on research examining competition policy in digital markets. This partnership combines South African and European academic expertise to address regulatory challenges posed by digital platforms, drawing on both legal and economic analysis to inform policy development.
The centres are co-hosting the Workshop on Data-Related Remedies in Digital Platform Markets on 14 November 2025 in Stellenbosch. The workshop brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to examine three key areas: digital platform neutrality and competition issues, data-focused regulation and its impact on platform markets, and the effectiveness of structural remedies such as platform break-ups. Professor Ioannis Lianos (University College London) will deliver the keynote address. Selected papers will be considered for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Competition Law & Economics.
Our joint research agenda includes ongoing work on algorithmic competition, data portability as a competitive remedy, and comparative approaches to digital market regulation across different jurisdictions. The collaboration encompasses co-authored publications, joint grant applications, shared doctoral supervision, and regular faculty exchange programs that facilitate knowledge transfer between both institutions.
ERSA
The Centre for Competition Law and Economics participates in Economic Research Southern Africa’s research programme on digital platform competition in South Africa. This initiative examines the economics of digital platform markets and develops evidence-based policy recommendations for South African regulators and policymakers.
The programme addresses key challenges posed by digital intermediation platforms in e-commerce and services sectors, with particular attention to their impact on local start-ups, SMEs, and competitive dynamics. Research themes include platform market power, regulatory responses to Big Tech dominance, implications for international trade policy, and effects on labour markets and economic inequality. The initiative builds on findings from the Competition Commission’s market inquiries into digital platform markets.
The programme brings together researchers from South African universities and the Competition Commission to produce working papers that inform policy development. Research outputs are published in the ERSA Working Paper Series and disseminated through policy briefs to ensure findings reach regulators, policymakers, and industry practitioners. The initiative supports both theoretical analysis and empirical research on South African digital markets.
For more information please see: https://econrsa.org/events/request-for-proposals-shaping-digital-competition-policy-and-regulation-in-south-africa/