Key challenges in Prioritization Small and Big Agency

Key challenges in Prioritization – Small and Big Agency Perspectives ICN Agency Effectiveness Workshop 2016 Gaborone, Botswana, 10 th and 11 th of March Thursday Presentation by: Elizabeth GACHUIRI-Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, UNCTAD

Issues to be addressed 1. What prioritization entails 2. Benefits of Prioritization 3. Some Common principles 4. Points of deviation 5. Maximizing benefits 6. Final Remarks

§ Prioritization: one tool for agency effectiveness § Involves a critical look of how agency can maximize use of scarce reources

. What prioritization entails: cont. . 1 § Establish: § a criteria of carrying out a plan § or strategy of doing business § Choices and opportunity costs considerations

2. Benefits of Priotization ØAgency is able to: Ø identify specific objectives to help guide its staff Ø make consistent resource allocation decisions and Ø permit the political and business communities to understand critique the choices

Ø Priortize activities - consideration should be given to fitting plan into overall agency strategy. Ø Opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of decisions, in order to identify areas of improvements

3. Some Common principles v. Priority setting is useful to every comp Agency v. Resource utilization is central to operations of any agency v. Plan of use is therefore key to this effort v. Strive to apply best practicesv. A measure of effectiveness

4. Points of deviation ü Legal instrument support ü Political support ü Financial provision ü Staffing strategies: Appointments etc ü Autonomy /independence

4. Points of deviation: cont. . ü Prioritizing activities based on: ü ability to determine the effects on consumer welfare in the market ü the likelihood of a successful outcome; and ü resource costs and measurement

4. Points of deviation: cont. . q Levels of competition culture among the business community, government, media and general public; q Insufficient cooperation and coordination with particular government ministries and other q Judiciary awareness of competition law and its economics;

5. Maximizing Benefits 1. Degree of liability of conspirators in criminal cases and the deterrent impact; 2. Balance between cost and benefit, and market impact) 3. Non-market impact 4. Public expectations.

6. Final Remarks o Prioritization is indeed an important aspect of agency effectiveness. o But every agency will operate within its own parameters guided by what is at its disposal o The famous phrase: no-one-size-fits-all is applicable here too.

Thank You Contacts: elizabeth. gachuiri@unctad. org www. unctad. org/competition