In a guest blog at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, James Wallar, Senior Vice President at Nathan Associates, suggests next steps for competition policy in ASEAN Member States. Fifteen years ago no ASEAN member had a competition law. Now five do? Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam?and they are urging other members to institute such policies before 2015, when the ASEAN Economic Community is scheduled to be in effect.

Though multiple studies estimate the benefits of competition policy, ASEAN?s leaders need more than studies to make the case. They need to understand of how such policy can benefit developing countries that lack sound legal, judicial, and infrastructure systems; they need concrete examples of the benefits of such policy; and they need to show consumers and producers how competition in such sectors as finance, electricity, transport, and information and communications technology will benefit them directly. Armed with such information, politicians will be better able to overcome the challenges inherent to enacting and enforcing competition laws.

Read Competition Policy for a Prosperous ASEAN Economic Community at the cogitAsia blog site.