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Services in EU competition policy

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Journal of Service Science

Abstract

The analysis of competition in services is particularly relevant, given the growing importance of this sector in modern economies and the segmentation still present in many tertiary markets. The objective of this paper is threefold. Firstly, to study the relationship between competition and European Union (EU) competition policy in services by analysing the influence exerted by aspects such as the share of services in the economy or by the market power of enterprises. Secondly, to present a set of sectoral cases under EU competition policy that illustrates the application of competition rules into major services sectors. Lastly, to identify the main challenges that competition policy faces with respect to services. Results show that competition in services markets varies widely by sector. The attention that EU competition policy pays to services should be explained by a wide set of factors (not just market size and market shares); to this end, this paper provides a detailed, sector-by-sector analysis. Several challenges are identified at both sectoral and at overall levels. We conclude that while there is no need for a new specific competition policy for services, more attention should be paid to increasing competition in some particular service markets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Economics Department, University of Alcalá, Alcalá, Spain

    Luis Rubalcaba & Gisela Di Meglio

Authors
  1. Luis Rubalcaba
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  2. Gisela Di Meglio
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Correspondence to Luis Rubalcaba.

Additional information

Luis Rubalcaba is Professor of Economics at the University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. Former President (2004∼2008) of the European Association for Services Research (RESER), he has written several books and articles on the service economy. He has worked as expert and scientific advisor for the European Commission (DG Enterprise and Eurostat among other Commission services). He currently coordinates the EU 7th Framework Programme project ServPPIN: The Contribution of Public and Private Services to European Growth and Welfare, and the Role of Public- Private Innovation Networks.

Gisela Di Meglio is a researcher in the Applied Economics Department, at the University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. She works on national and European research projects on services related topics. Her main research fields are public and private services, competitiveness and European policies in services. She has previously worked as a teacher and researcher in Universidad Nacional del Sur (Argentina).

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Rubalcaba, L., Di Meglio, G. Services in EU competition policy. J Serv Sci 1, 121–146 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-009-0007-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-009-0007-x

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