Competition and Consumer Protection

We are helping Pacific countries develop well-functioning competition law and consumer protection frameworks.

Weak or ineffective competition is detrimental to consumers, businesses, and economic growth. PSDI works to establish or strengthen competition and consumer protection safeguards in Pacific countries to ensure markets benefit consumers and traders at all levels of the economy.

In markets where competition is weak or nonexistent, consumers pay more for goods and services, their choices are limited, and opportunities for businesses—particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)—are constrained. Competitive markets for goods and services are vital to the success of the private sector and crucial to economic development.

Competition is nascent in many Pacific countries, where small market size leads limits the number of providers of products and services. This makes strong competition policy, and competition law, a vital part of national economic policy.

PSDI helps Pacific governments to strengthen competition frameworks by developing and/or reforming competition laws, establishing regulatory offices, and improving the capacity of regulators.

PSDI’s competition and consumer protection work area focuses on:

• establishing policy and legislation that promotes competition and strengthens consumer protection;
• establishing or strengthening competition commissions; and
• developing technical and crosscutting capacity, particularly in PNG’s competition commission.

Competition and Consumer Protection and COVID-19

For more information on PSDI's Competition and Consumer Protection focus area and COVID-19, click here. 

PSDI has also published three posts considering the impacts of COVID-19 on competition and consumer protection in the Pacific. See “Retail Pricing in the Pacific During the Covid-19 Pandemic”,  “Consumer Protection in Pacific Countries in the Wake of COVID-19”, and "Competition in the Wake of Covid-19: Supporting Pacific MSMEs."