Workshop on cartel screening in the digital era

30 January 2018 OECD Conference Centre, Paris

The OECD organised an interactive one-day workshop for competition officials in Paris on 30 January 2018 to provide an insight into the latest developments on screening methods.

The increased availability of data has opened up new possibilities in pro-active cartel detection, especially in testing screens empirically. The advances in data analytics naturally pave the way for competition authorities to rely on new detection tools and methodologies to improve enforcement through the use of digital technologies. In view of these developments, the purpose of the workshop is to give detailed insights into the latest developments on screening methods along with a unique opportunity for agencies to share their practical experiences.

The workshop had a very pragmatic approach and provided an opportunity to have hands-on guidance from agencies which have recently developed and/or applied screens for cartel detection. Sessions focused on the practical aspects of screen development and implementation as well as the main challenges that might have arisen during the screening process, e.g. in terms of data collection, development of the screening methodology or effectiveness of the techniques used.

Read the workshop summary

Programme

The workshop included:

A discussion on latest developments in cartel screens proposed by the economic literature
Presentations by agencies on their experiences with the application of structural and behavioural screens.

Speakers

The workshop provided an opportunity for competition authorities to share some lessons learned, and to hear the experience from our keynote speaker, Robert Porter (Professor of Economics Northwestern University) and from representatives of the following competition agencies: