Assessing Competition in Philippine Markets

This paper reviews the current empirical literature on competition and market structure of Philippine industries. It shows that weak competition is one of the fundamental factors that explain limited growth, productivity, and employment in the economy. Philippine experience has shown that reforms such as trade liberalization, deregulation, and privatization, while necessary, are not sufficient to foster effective competition. The success of these reforms depends on the creation of a competitive domestic market environment, which is in turn determined by the interplay of behavioral, regulatory, and structural constraints along with the broader aspects of competitive infrastructure.