Simon Roberts is a professor of economics in the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development which he established in 2013 at the University of Johannesburg. He held the position of Economics Director at the UK’s CMA between March 2019 and October 2020, and served as Chief Economist and Manager of the Policy & Research Division at the Competition Commission of South Africa from November 2006 to December 2012. In addition, Simon has consulted extensively on competition matters and has been an expert witness in a number of major cases. Simon holds a PhD from University of London (Birkbeck College), MA from University of East Anglia, and BA (Hons) from Oxford University. He has published widely on competition and economic development.

Simon Roberts

Professor, Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, University of Johannesburg

www.competition.org.za

African Market Observatory

Global Practitioner, University of Strathclyde

Recent publications:

Chisoro and Roberts (2023) Grower Power for Value Creation in High-Value Horticulture? The Case of Citrus in South Africa, European Journal of Development Research.

Roberts (2023) Competition, trade, and sustainability in agriculture and food markets in Africa, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 39(1), Spring 2023, 147–161.

Roberts, Simbanegavi, Vilakazi (2022) Cementing regional integration or building walls? Competition, cartels and regional integration in the cement industry in Africa, The World Economy

Andreoni and Roberts (2022) Governing Digital Platform Power for Industrial Development: Towards an Entrepreneurial-Regulatory State, Cambridge Journal of Economics

Latest opinion pieces:

Food crisis in Africa: the high cost of imported fertilisers is adding to the problem, Simon Roberts, Ntombifuthi Tshabalala, The Conversation, 25 July 2023