ABOUT US

CCRED is a leading university research group established as a locus of knowledge and information on competition, regulation and economic development.

The Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) in the Faculty of Economic and Financial Sciences was established in 2011 at the University of Johannesburg.

CCRED was initially known as CCE, and was the first of its kind in South Africa. Initially it aimed to meet the needs for improved research and teaching in the rapidly growing area of competition economics. However, the Centre’s scope has broadened to include not only competition economics, but also analysis of economic regulation and economic development across southern and East Africa.

This led to the Centre changing its name in 2013 to the Centre Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) and serves as a research and capacity development centre. The research focus of the Centre is currently on:

  • Competition and Barriers to Entry – this theme understands the business experience of firm entry, analysing successes and failures and extending our knowledge on barriers to wider economic participation in key economic sectors to take account of consumer behaviour and switching, distribution economies, network effects as well as access to finance, scale economies and regulatory obstacles.

  • Regional Value Chains – research investigating key value chains in agro-processing, light industry, inputs into mining and construction. This includes current and recent projects with UNU-WIDER, GIZ/SADC, and Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies.

  • Local Industrial Development and Inclusive Growth – This theme focuses on understanding the inter-relationship of economic regulation and development policies with competition and inclusive growth. It includes work reviewing economic regulation in South Africa, and research on industrial policy in Zambia and on industrial development in the City of Johannesburg.

The Centre publishes its research, hosts information and knowledge exchange platforms, conferences and seminars in partnership with competition authorities and regulators.

The Centre is active in the area of learning and development. It offers a dedicated competition economics Masters elective, teaches components of postgraduate microeconomics courses, and supervises dissertations in the area of competition economics.

Short learning programmes are also offered, facilitated by both local and international practitioners and academics. 

CCRED is headed by Dr Thando Vilakazi and includes a strong research and teaching team, as well as a number of research fellows who are experienced competition economists working in academia, for the competition authorities, and for leading consultancies. 

CCRED is guided by a governing board chaired by Professor Hardus van Zyl, Head of the Department of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Johannesburg.

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