The 2012 IDRC Pre-ICN Forum on Competition and Development was held on April 17 2012, in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil at the Royal Tulip Hotel, prior to and in the same venue as the Annual Conference of the International Competition Network (ICN). The Forum was sponsored by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and organized by the Foundation Institute of Economic Research (FIPE).

The 2012 IDRC Forum focused on the theme: the State as a Market Player or a Market-Power Broker? The goal of this day-long meeting was to provide a forum where authorities, practitioners and academic experts could gather together to discuss the incidence and assess the antitrust impacts of direct state involvement in the business world.

The Forum was organized into four main sections:
 
   -Keynote address: Ownership networks and the small worlds (Prof. Sergio Lazzarini from Insper Institute of Education and Research)

   -Panel I: State-owned companies, state-related firms, and the challenges to competition

   -Panel II: State-related firms, economic opportunities, and corruption

   -Panel III: State action, competition, and merger control

The event also featured a special Panel on the Future of Pre-ICN Forum and the role of IDRC, which was led by Prof. Eleanor Fox.

Overall, the meeting achieved its goal. More than 100 individuals of different nationalities attended the event, which promoted a rich environment for discussions.

For highlights of the meeting, click here.

Overview of the program and link to presentations: