NEWS

The Centre for Competition Law and Economics at Stellenbosch University and the Brussels Centre for Competition Policy at Vrije Universiteit Brussel are pleased to host a workshop on "Data-Related Remedies in Digital Platform Markets." About the Workshop This full-day event brings together leading scholars in law and economics, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss approaches to safeguarding competition in digital platform markets. The workshop will feature paper presentations and a keynote address by Professor Ioannis Lianos of University College London. Event Details Date: Friday, 14 November 2025 Time: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Venue: Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS), Stellenbosch, South Africa Conference Fee: $250 (PhD students exempt) Registration deadline: 1 November 2025 Interested in attending? Please complete the registration form: https://forms.gle/UkEBwqUQjLKa2kYX7 A conference dinner will be held on the evening of Friday, 14 November. Further details will be provided to registered participants. Contact For questions or further information, please contact: Professor Caroline Buts (caroline.buts@vub.be) Professor Willem Boshoff (wimpie2@sun.ac.za)  

The Centre for Competition Law and Economics is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) on the Digital Platform Competition and Regulation Project. Following ERSA's Request for Proposals earlier this year, nine research proposals were selected to explore critical questions around digital platform competition and regulation. The CCLE is contributing to two of these nine research papers, with Thomas Janisch, Professor Willem Boshoff, and Katherine Stainton. Last week, researchers gathered at Stellenbosch University for a productive workshop where they presented their works-in-progress, marking an important milestone in preparation for the December conference and subsequent publications. The workshop provided an opportunity to share initial findings, test ideas and approaches, brainstorm policy insights, and work through challenges collaboratively. The project benefits from strong participation by The Competition Commission South Africa, helping to bridge the gap between academic research and practical policymaking. The CCLE looks forward to sharing the working papers and policy papers that will emerge from this important research initiative.

The CCLE was privileged to host Professor Justus Haucap from the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) at Heinrich Heine University, who delivered a presentation on "Merger Control, Innovation, and Industrial Policy: A European (and Personal) Perspective" at the Economic Society of South Africa Centenary Conference. Professor Haucap's insights on the evolving landscape of European competition policy provided valuable perspectives for South African practitioners and academics. We extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Haucap for sharing his expertise and contributing to this milestone conference. Our thanks also go to the organisers Economic Society of South Africa, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA), Fouché Venter, Prof. Willem Boshoff, and fellow panelists Prof. Nicola Theron and Pamela Mondliwa for facilitating such engaging discussions.

Prof Willem Boshoff, Co-Director of the CCLE, has recently published a policy paper on trends in South African competition policy over the last three decades, commissioned by Economic Research Southern Africa. Prof Boshoff argues that merger control and anti-cartel enforcement have followed two different and increasingly divergent paths. Merger control has been increasingly shaped by policy preferences, while anti-cartel enforcement has historically been closely tied to prior case law and developments in economic theory. While there are also important countertrends in the two areas, Prof Boshoff argues that these divergent paths present policymakers with a choice about the future direction of South African competition policy. The full paper can be viewed and downloaded here: https://econrsa.org/publications/competition-policy-in-south-africa-from-1994-to-now/

The Centre for Competition Law and Economics (CCLE) at Stellenbosch University and the Brussels Centre for Competition Policy (BCCP) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the upcoming Workshop on Data-Related Remedies in Digital Platform Markets, to be held on Friday, 14 November 2025 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This workshop aims to bring together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss approaches to safeguarding competition in digital platform markets. The program will feature a series of paper presentations, co-creation sessions, and a keynote address delivered by Professor Ioannis Lianos (University College London). Selected papers will be considered for inclusion in a special journal issue of the Journal of Competition Law & Economics. We invite submissions from scholars in economics, law, and interdisciplinary research fields. Topics of interest include: Digital Platform (Non-)Neutrality and Competition, focusing on issues arising from (algorithmic) platform non-neutrality and remedies to ensure platform neutrality for business users; Data-Focused Regulation and Competition in Digital Platform Markets, examining the impact of data collection and data use regulation on competition, and the potential of data portability as a remedy against platform market power; Structural Remedies in Digital Markets, considering the desirability and effectiveness of [...]

Professor Willem H. Boshoff, Co-Director of the Centre for Competition Law and Economics,  presented his research on the evolution of South African competition policy at the "South Africa at 30 Years of Democracy" conference hosted by SALDRU at the University of Cape Town today. His paper, titled "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: a comparative analysis of merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over 25 years," examines how South Africa's competition policy has evolved since the Competition Act of 1998. Professor Boshoff's research reveals a striking divergence between two core areas of competition policy. He demonstrates that merger control has become increasingly interventionist over the past 25 years, with this trend driven primarily by shifting policy preferences that emphasise public interest considerations and industrial policy objectives over purely competition-based concerns. In contrast, anti-cartel enforcement has remained more closely aligned with economic evidence, with prosecutions largely driven by prior probabilities rather than shifting policy preferences. This divergence highlights two competing approaches in South African competition policy. This research contributes valuable insights to ongoing debates about the future of competition policy in South Africa. As policymakers consider reforms to enhance economic dynamism while addressing historical inequalities, Professor Boshoff's analysis offers a [...]