A new look at the investigation of cartelization: The scientific and practical journal “Russian Competition Law and Economics” described economic methods to fight cartels

Kirill Dozmarov published “The use of econometric methods in the investigation of anticompetitive agreements and the prohibition of concerted actions,” an article he wrote with two members of the staff of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia. The article, which considers the econometric methods in the fight against cartels and concerted practices, is in a special issue of the scientific and practical journal Russian Competition Law and Economics (No. 3 (7) 2016). The issue of the journal published works from the eighth "Antitrust regulation in Russia” conference.

The authors considered the current situation and proposed promising ways to investigate anticompetitive agreements and concerted practices. They offered some possibilities for expanding the application of econometric techniques to eliminate cartels and revealed three practical and important questions.

First, the article presents practical examples of the application of economic analysis in cases dealing with cartels. For the purposes of research and the possibility of using econometric methods to combat these economic crimes, the authors proposed a classification of cartels into two groups: those in the commodity markets and cartels (collusion) during auctions.

Second, the authors revealed the features of the application of econometric techniques in the investigation of cartels and other prohibited anticompetitive agreements and concerted practices.

Third, the authors paid special attention to basic economic factors that may indicate both a predisposition in a particular industry for the creation of cartels and the existence of a mature cartel.

The “Antitrust regulation in Russia” conference is a key event in the field of antitrust regulation in the Russian Federation and CIS countries. The representatives of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, along with leading lawyers and economists take part in the annual event, whose main purpose is to discuss current antimonopoly policy and analyze the compliance of antitrust laws with international standards.

Attention to the economic aspects of the antitrust law, for the benefit of the participants from FAS Russia, businesses, and experts, has become one of the leading themes of the conference.