Category: Publications

Data Visualisation: Crossing the line

Written by Tristan Salmon and James Forster In this article, the data science team illustrate intuitive ways to explore and visualise complex data using the example of the how, where, when and who of the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional charts (and in particular, line charts) are very popular in economic consulting. At their best, they present … Continued

Solving Issues in the Quantification of ISDS Claims

The First Edition of Global Arbitration Review’s Guide to Investment Treaty Protection and Enforcement covers the practical side of investor–state disputes and provides guidance on how to strategize at every stage of a dispute. Compass Lexecon economists Boaz Moselle, Ruxandra Ciupagea and Juan Carlos Bisso contribute a chapter focussed on resolving two specific issues raised … Continued

Game, Set and Fuzzy match

Written by Bhargav Bharadwaj, Antoine Gracia Victoria, Wiktor Owczarz and Waldemar Schuppli Fuzzy matching is a set of data science techniques that save critical time and reduce the risk of human error when matching string variables (e.g., customer names) in large, distinct datasets, for example, to assess the closeness of competition between merging firms, or … Continued

Expert Q&A on pass-on of overcharge

Expert Economists Nadine Watson, Frédéric Palomino, Justin Coombs and David Sevy participated in a Q&A with Financier Worldwide for their January issue on how to quantify the passing-on of overcharges resulting from competition law infringements and the key challenges involved in assessing claims through economic theory and data analysis. In the context of competition law … Continued

Expert Q&A on Quantification of overcharge and value of commerce

Expert Economists Catalina Campillo, Soledad Pereiras and Bernardo Sarmento participated in a Q&A with Financier Worldwide for their December issue on recent developments in damages litigation and the factors considered when quantifying overcharge and determining the value of commerce. Could you provide an overview of the recent trends and developments in follow-on damages cases across … Continued

A Reflection on China’s Merger Reviews – Key Messages from the Latest Five-Year Report and Insights from Economists

Expert economists Elizabeth Wang, Kun Huang, Sophie Yang, and Aston Zhong from Compass Lexecon provide a broad overview of the recent merger reviews by China’s competition authority (SAMR) in a piece published in Competition Policy International Asia Column. In particular, topics discussed by the economists include key takeaways from SAMR’s 2020 annual report, trends in … Continued

Optimal Exit Policy with Uncertain Demand

Entrants often need to make considerable sunk investments with highly uncertain returns. The option to exit if returns are low reduces investment risks and stimulates innovation. In this paper, Michele Bisceglia (University of Toulouse) and Jorge Padilla, Joe Perkins, and Salvatore Piccolo of Compass Lexecon[1] examine the interaction between exit policy and up-front investment by … Continued

Merger Control Z

In this paper, Jorge Padilla, Joe Perkins, and Paul Reynolds[1] focus on industries that require intensive investment to compete and innovate well before demand materializes (or fails to do so). In these industries, the existence of exit barriers may cause firms to become “zombies” ex-post and result in significant underinvestment ex-ante. They first discuss the link between the investment decisions of firms and the existence and significance of exit barriers. Then, they consider the role of mergers as an exit mechanism that promotes efficient investment and fosters competition. They conclude with a discussion about optimal merger policy.

Q&A: Competition and antitrust issues in digital markets

Expert economists Salvatore Piccolo, Patricia Lorenzo, Guillaume Duquesne, Kadambari Prasad, and Paul Reynolds discuss competition and antitrust issues in digital markets with Financier Worldwide. Could you provide an overview of how the digital marketplace has developed in recent years? Piccolo: Recent years have witnessed the emergence of an increasing number of online marketplaces with new … Continued