Overcoming methodological challenges in the application of competition law to digital platforms—a Swedish perspective

Abstract

The article presents three case studies relating to multisided markets which were handled by the Swedish Competition Authority (SCA). These include the market for online booking of hotel rooms, the market for online listings of properties, and the market for online orders of take away food. The case studies show how an analysis based on the more recently developed economic theory on platform markets allows for a successful application of existing competition law. Moreover, common predictions on the economic behaviour of platform markets, as can be found in the academic literature, are tested against the experiences drawn from the aforementioned investigations. In addition to providing a robustness check on common assertions made on the functioning of platform markets, the article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of such markets by adding to the debate on when these common assertions are likely to hold.