Product Market Competition and Economic Performance in Switzerland

The strength of product market competition plays an important role in ensuring dynamic economic growth. This paper examines product market competition and its link with economic performance in Switzerland whose growth has been weaker than in most OECD countries since 1980. It shows that substantial progress in reforming product markets can be made in many areas, which would contribute to reduce the excessive price differential vis-à-vis other countries and stimulate growth. These reforms should focus on the legal framework of competition, the network industries, the health sector, the revision of the Domestic Market Act, agriculture, the restriction on parallel imports and, more generally, the opening up of services to foreign competition ...