Consumers may be duped

The theme of the new research anthology from the Swedish Competition Authority is ‘how consumers can be protected in different markets’.

Some of the world’s leading experts on issues relating to consumers and competition have offered to contribute to the book. This is the tenth year in a row that the Swedish Competition Authority has published research anthologies on various themes linked to competition. The title this time is ‘The Pros and Cons of Consumer Protection’.

“It feels satisfying to contribute in this way to the build-up of knowledge in an important area,” says Dan Sjöblom, Director-General of the Swedish Competition Authority.

“Functioning competition helps to generate better conditions for consumers. Competition law analyses often presume that all consumers are rational, but is this always the case? One conclusion is that this is an important area for further study,” comments Dan Sjöblom.

The Swedish Competition Authority has organised an international research conference on the same theme as the anthology that now being presented. The document is a compilation of five contributions.

The need for well-informed consumers and how companies can exploit a situation where the consumers lack sufficient information can be mentioned as being among the issues raised in the document. Some consumers find facts themselves, while many rely on what they have been told by the supplier. Another area is the consumer’s ‘information disadvantage’ and how companies can in various ways conceal the actual and final costs involved for a purchase of goods or services.

For additional information, contact:
Jimmy Dominius, Press Officer, tel. +46 (0)8-700 15 80 or  +46 (0)76 542 15 80
Arvid Fredenberg, Acting Chief Economist, tel. +46 (0)8-700 15 41