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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 [...]

Prof Willem Boshoff, Co-Director of the CCLE, is the holder of the prestigious Vloeberghs Chair from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium for 2024. The Chair is a teaching chair awarded biennially to a scholar working on legal issues at the intersection of international law, economics and informatics. As Chair, Prof Boshoff presented three public lectures at the Free University of Brussels, related to competition policy towards online intermediation platforms. Competition policy towards digital platforms have received much attention in recent years, but with a focus on search and social media platforms. Increasingly, e-commerce and other platforms for online commerce are receiving more policy attention – both in South Africa and beyond. Policymakers and academic are concerned over the potential impact of network effects on competition in these markets, where platforms are linking end consumers to businesses. These network effects can lead to winner-takes-all outcomes and limit the entry possibilities for new players. Prof Boshoff will be repeating these lectures online on the following dates: Lecture 1 (26 July 2024): Competition policy towards digital intermediation platforms: European antitrust and the African perspective Lecture 2 (2 August 2024): Evaluating potential competition in digital platform markets: American and European entrants versus African monopolists? [...]

Prof Willem Boshoff, co-director of the CCLE, and Prof Lukasz Grzybowski from the University of Cape Town are organizing a workshop in Stellenbosch on competition policy and regulation in digital markets. The workshop is funded by Economic Research Southern Africa and will take place from 30 September to 1 October. Below is the call for papers: Call for papers A 2-day ERSA workshop will take place on 30th September and 1st October 2022 in Stellenbosch. During the workshop prominent academics working in the field of Industrial Organization and Digital Economics will provide short lectures on relevant competition and regulatory issues in digital markets. In the remaining time, workshop participants will present their research and discussion papers. We welcome theoretical, empirical as well as policy-oriented submissions to discuss recent contributions. Topics of Interest Digital Platforms - Media Markets – Advertising – Privacy – E-commerce – Digital Marketing – Regulation and Competition Policy of the Digital Economy – Economics of Big Data, Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence – Intellectual Property Rights – ICT, Productivity and Growth – Innovation and Standards – Internet and Search – Net Neutrality –  Networks and Pricing - Telecommunications – Internet and Software Industries Conference Details No workshop fee [...]

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2022 The Centre for Competition Law and Economics (CCLE), a research unit in the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, hereby invite applications for a twelve-month postdoctoral research fellowship. Eligibility Applicants should hold a PhD in economics, with specialization in industrial organization. Applicants holding PhDs from North American or European institutions will be given preference. The research of applicants can focus on theoretical or empirical topics in industrial organization, antitrust and related fields of micro-economics. Requirements of the position The successful applicant will be expected to actively advance his/her current research projects, including the publication of existing research. The successful applicant will also be expected to drive a project involving the economics of excessive pricing, which forms part of EU and South African competition policy, in collaboration with other members of the CCLE. Period The starting date is negotiable, but the aim is to commence the fellowship by June 2022. The fellowship is likely to be renewed for one further year, subject to the applicant’s performance and to the availability of funding. Benefits A scholarship amount of R230,000 (approximately 13,100 euro) is available for the twelve-month period. Note that living expenses in euro/dollar terms [...]

Relying on competition policy – and specifically provisions against excessive pricing – to prosecute price gouging comes with significant challenges. In this op-ed, Prof Willem Boshoff, co-director of the CCLE, unpacks some of these challenges.