Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia.
Deakin Law School, Deakin University, Burwood, 221 Burwood Highway, Victoria, 3125, Australia.
Global Health. 2024 Oct 2;20(1):70. doi: 10.1186/s12992-024-01076-2.
Competition regulation has a strong influence on the relative market power of firms. As such, competition regulation can complement industry-specific measures designed to address harms associated with excessive market power in harmful consumer product industries. This study aimed to examine, through a public health lens, assessments and decisions made by competition authorities in four jurisdictions (Australia, South Africa, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU)) involving three harmful consumer product industries (alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, tobacco). We analysed legal case documents, sourced from online public registers and dating back as far as the online records extended, using a narrative approach. Regulatory decisions and harms described by the authorities were inductively coded, focusing on the affected group(s) (e.g., consumers) and the nature of the harms (e.g., price increases) identified.
We identified 359 cases published by competition authorities in Australia (n = 202), South Africa (n = 44), the US (n = 27), and the EU (n = 86). Most cases (n = 239) related to mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Competition authorities in Australia, the US, and the EU were found to make many decisions oriented towards increasing the affordability and accessibility of alcohol beverages, soft drinks, and tobacco products. Such decisions were very often made despite the presence of consumption-reduction public health policies. In comparison, South Africa's competition authorities routinely considered broader issues, including 'Black Economic Empowerment' and potential harms to workers.
Many of the competition regulatory decisions assessed likely facilitated the concentration of market power in the industries we explored. Nevertheless, there appears to be potential for competition regulatory frameworks to play a more prominent role in promoting and protecting the public's health through tighter regulation of excessive market power in harmful consumer product industries.
竞争监管对企业的相对市场力量有很强的影响。因此，竞争监管可以补充针对有害消费品行业过度市场力量相关危害而制定的特定行业措施。本研究旨在通过公共卫生视角，审查四个司法管辖区（澳大利亚、南非、美国和欧盟）的竞争主管部门在涉及三个有害消费品行业（酒精饮料、软饮料、烟草）的评估和决策。我们分析了从在线公共登记处获取的、可追溯到在线记录的法律案例文件，采用叙述性方法。监管机构描述的监管决定和危害采用归纳法进行编码，重点关注受影响的群体（例如消费者）以及确定的危害性质（例如价格上涨）。
我们在澳大利亚（n=202）、南非（n=44）、美国（n=27）和欧盟（n=86）的竞争主管部门共确定了 359 起案件。大多数案件（n=239）与合并和收购（M&A）有关。澳大利亚、美国和欧盟的竞争主管部门发现，许多决策旨在提高酒精饮料、软饮料和烟草产品的可负担性和可及性。尽管存在减少消费的公共卫生政策，但这些决策经常做出。相比之下，南非的竞争主管部门经常考虑更广泛的问题，包括“黑人经济赋权”和工人可能受到的伤害。
评估的许多竞争监管决策可能促进了我们所探讨的行业中市场力量的集中。然而，竞争监管框架似乎有可能通过更严格地监管有害消费品行业的过度市场力量，在促进和保护公众健康方面发挥更突出的作用。
