Deadline: December 15, 2017
The International Competition Network (ICN) and the World Bank Group invite entries for the 2017 – 2018 Competition Advocacy Contest. This contest aims to highlight the key role competition agencies play in promoting competition by showcasing their advocacy success stories.
As defined by the ICN, competition advocacy refers to activities that promote a competitive environment through non-enforcement mechanisms, such as building relationships with government entities, increasing public awareness of competition’s benefits and identifying and removing anticompetitive policies and regulations.
They are looking for success stories from competition agencies or other public bodies that demonstrate the tangible results of competition advocacy regarding:
- Theme 1: Prompting structural reforms in key sectors: Structural reforms enable competitive outcomes in key sectors and tackle obstacles to the fundamental drivers of growth, removing impediments to the efficient allocation of resources and encouraging job creation, investment and productivity
- Theme 2. Creating markets for private sector development: Effective competition dynamics enable the rise of contestable new markets, encourage the disruptive entry of new businesses, and foster the development of innovative goods and services.
- Theme 3. Reaping the benefits of globalization and trade openness: Well-functioning competitive domestic markets can maximize the benefits of global integration, unlocking opportunities for greater investments and participation in global value chains.
- Theme 4: Improving administrative procedures to remove obstacles to competition: Inadequate administrative and regulatory procedures, at either the national or subnational level, may stand in the way of market competition by preventing entry, facilitating collusion, or distorting the level playing field.
Benefits
Winning applicants will be invited to present their stories at a joint ICN-World Bank Group event, and winning stories will be featured in an ICN-World Bank Group Publication.
Eligibility
- Competition agencies and public bodies promoting competition policy are welcome to apply.
- They encourage joint submissions with other governmental bodies or non-governmental organizations.
Requirements
- Submitted stories should include:
- Description of the competition/market problem
- Relevant theme
- Main goal/s of the work undertaken
- Sector/s involved and product/service analyzed
- Geographical regions affected
- Importance of the sector/market analyzed
- Resources mobilized
- Collaboration with other agencies/organizations and stakeholders
- Advocacy strategy
- Specific advocacy activities, milestones and timeframe
- Main messages and recommendations conveyed by the advocacy activity
- Results achieved
- Effects on market (e.g., consumer savings, investment, value added, entry of new firms)
- Impact evaluation, if any
- Lessons learned
- ICN or World Bank Group tools used for this initiative, if any
- Stories should be between 500-2000 words and start with a 100 -200-word summary.
- Stories submitted to previous editions of this contest that were not awarded are eligible for resubmission.
Selection Criteria
Submissions will undergo a rigorous assessment of the following criteria:
- Success of the advocacy activity
- Cooperation mechanisms deployed
- Advocacy strategy
- Results achieved
- Impact and effects on markets
- Creativity and originality
- Spillover effects and lessons learned
A panel will review the submissions and select the top stories.
Application
Winners and honorable mentions will be announced by February 16th, 2018. Please contact Guilherme de Aguiar Falco with any questions at [email protected].
To apply, click here.
For more information, visit Competition Advocacy Contest.
