(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-12-01)
World Bank Group
This study shows how the World Bank
Group’s Markets and Competition Policy Assessment Tool
(MCPAT) can help economies identify reform areas that would
make government interventions in freight and logistics
services more conducive to competition. The study focuses on
three case studies among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) countries - Peru, Philippines and Vietnam - to
illustrate the importance of identifying specific areas for
behind-the-border reforms. The analysis focuses on
containerized cargo and multimodal transport links between
road and maritime transportation, building on primary data
collection through novel questionnaires for stakeholders.
This study identifies potential competition issues to
monitor and makes specific recommendations by country and
topic. Potential competition issues include abuse of
dominance through exclusionary or discriminatory practices,
predominantly in access to multimodal infrastructure and
slot allocation along the chain, as well as potential
collusive practices in the wholesale segment (for example,
among carriers) and in highly specialized services, such as
pilotage and towing in port terminals. Furthermore, given
the tendency toward (horizontal and vertical) mergers and
acquisitions in freight forwarding, it is essential to
continue evaluating changes in market structure and the
potential impact of these changes on market contestability.