faculty
BSE Research Professor Massimo Motta appointed European Commission Chief Competition Economist
The European Commission has named Prof. Massimo Motta to be the next chief economist of its Directorate General for Competition. He will replace current Chief Competition Economist Kai-Uwe Kühn before October first of this year.
Professor Motta has had a hands-on role in developing the BSE's academic programs as Dean of the School from 2009-12. He also founded the School's Master Program in Competition and Market Regulation and directs two professional courses on Abuse of Dominance and Quantitative Methods for Competition Analysis.
His nomination as Chief Competition Economist is clear evidence of his international reputation as a competition expert. For next year’s BSE students, his appointment means that they will have the unique opportunity to take classes from the top authority in Competition of the EU. Prof. Motta will continue to teach courses and serve as Scientific Director of the competition master program in 2013-14.
Independent guidance informed by academic expertise
According to DG Competition, the Chief Economist acts as a focus for economic debate, in liaison with other Commission services and in association with the academic world. In his new role as Chief Competition Economist, Prof. Motta will provide independent guidance to DG Competition on methodological issues of economics and econometrics in the application of EU competition rules. He will also contribute to individual competition cases (in particular ones involving complex economic issues and quantitative analysis), to the development of general policy instruments, as well as assisting with cases pending before the Community Courts.
About Massimo Motta
Massimo Motta (PhD in Quantitative Economics, London School of Economics and Université Catholique de Louvain) is ICREA Research Professor in the Department of Economics and Business at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Research Professor of the Barcelona School of Economics. His main areas of research are industrial organization and in particular competition policy, but he has also worked on international trade and multinational firms.
His work, widely cited and influential, has been published in the leading international economic journals. His book on Competition Policy: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2004) is the standard international reference on the economics of antitrust, and is used by teachers, scholars, and practitioners.
Professor Motta has extensive experience in teaching competition policy (to lawyers, economists, agency officials, and in both undergraduate and graduate courses) and in supervising doctoral dissertations. His former students have obtained important positions in academia, consulting firms, and in competition and regulatory agencies.
Massimo Motta is ICREA Research Professor in the UPF Department of Economics and Business and Research Professor at the BSE.
Media coverage of Prof. Motta's chief economist appointment
Competition Policy International