News
Presentation on postal strategies in a digital age.
Christian Jaag presented a paper on "Postal Strategies in a Digital age" at the 4th Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures of the Florence School of Regulation.
Multiple papers presented in Athens.
Swiss Economics contributed three presentations and papers to the 23rd Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics:
- Commercial and regulatory challenges for postal e-services in Switzerland
- Cryptocurrencies: New Opportunities for Postal Financial Services
- Postal strategies in a digital age
All papers are available in our Working Paper Series.
A contribution of Swiss Economics team members has been published in the journal for Competition and Regulation in Network Industries.
Abstract: Rail passenger transport services with integrated regular interval timetables (IRIT) offer passengers a regular interval timetable for services on the railway network. IRIT have the potential to increase the quality and attractiveness of railway passenger services in comparison to other transport modes. This paper summarizes the advantages and challenges of the implementation of IRIT for railway passenger services, presents a quantitative model which simulates passenger utility in an IRIT railway system compared to other forms of timetables, and derives the main requirements for the successful introduction of IRIT. The comparison of the regulatory framework, the role of IRIT and the development of passenger railway services in CH, the NL and the UK, shows that in those countries where either IRIT has been introduced (CH) or the high frequency of trains between cities provides for a system comparable to IRIT (NL), railway services play a more important role in the modal split. The successful introduction of IRIT requires a long-run implementation schedule which identifies the necessary investment in the railway infrastructure and points out the financial resources available to make those investments. Further, IRIT requires a high level of punctuality of railway passenger services, coordination between railway companies when designing the timetable and a priority rule for passenger railway services within IRIT when there are capacity restrictions on the railway network.
A study for Bundesamt für Energie (BFE).
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) published a report of Ecofys and Swiss Economics on future energy markets and the role of power network operators.
A collaboration with the University of Zurich.
Article on the experiences with the electricity market opening in the EU.
In a recent article on the experiences with the electricity market in the EU, we conclude that the member states have not yet worked out a silver bullet in the organization of the regulatory conditions.
Two new publications on the postal market in Switzerland and in the United States.
Swiss Economics welcomes Dr. Michael Funk as a new staff member!
Dr. Michael Funk is a project leader for Swiss Economics with a focus on competition policy and regulatory economics. After his studies in history and economics at the University of Fribourg, he obtained his Doctorate in the areas of political economics and financial sciences. He subsequently worked as an economist for the competition commission.
Presentation at the International Postal and e-Communications Conference on the Swiss regulatory framework for the postal sector in light of current challenges.
At the International Postal and e-Communications Conference, Christian Jaag gave a presentation on the Swiss regulatory framework for the postal sector in light of current challenges.
Dr. Martin Lutzenberger appointed Director Berlin Office.
Martin Lutzenberger is our new Director of Office Berlin. Focusing on competition economics, economic policy, transportation and energy, Martin will develop our activities in Germany.
After his studies in economics at the University of Freiburg i.Br. he received a doctoral degree at the University of Zurich. From 2010 to 2014, he was a project manager and lecturer at the University of Lucerne. Besides, he was a lecturer at the University of Zurich and an external expert in Swiss Economics.
Recent conference contributions are available in our working paper series.
Swiss Economics has presented recent research papers at the 22th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics:
- USO cost allocation rules and welfare
- Market Regulations and USO in the Revised Swiss Postal Act
- Estimating the Financial Impact of Discontinuing Saturday Delivery
The works are available in our Working Paper Series.
We accept payments and offer to pay salaries in Bitcoin.
As of now, we accept Bitcoin as payment for our consulting services. We also offer our employees the option to receive their salary (or a part of it) in Bitcoin.
A report for the United States Postal Regulatory Commission.
The U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) published today a report of Swiss Economics on the Impact of the discontinuance of Saturday delivery for letters and flats on the U.S. Postal Service.
Presentation of the research paper on «The Effect of Payment Reversibility on E-commerce and Postal Quality».
Christian Jaag presented the research paper «The Effect of Payment Reversibility on E-commerce and Postal Quality» at the 8th Bi-Annual Postal Economics Conference of the Toulouse School of Economics. The irreversibility of payments in virtual currencies shifts the risk of e-commerce from merchants to consumers. Under certain conditions, this strengthens online retailers in competition with brick-and-mortar stores as well as incentives for postal quality.
A report for Bundesnetzagentur.
BNetzA published the report of Swiss Economics on benchmarking the German energy distribution system operators.
New publications on assessing the burden of universal service providers and on calculating the net costs of home delivery obligations.
Two new publications of Swiss Economics team members have been published in the book «The Role of the Postal and Delivery Sector in a Digital Age».
To the book
To the working paper «USO Burden»
To the working paper «USO Delivery»
Contribution to the webinar on “Virtual currencies: Exploring a Potential Role for Postal Operators».
The webinar included inputs from the USPS IOG Global Team and the UPU
In a collaboration with Professors Pierre Fleckinger and Constance Monnier, both affiliated with OCA, our competition law disputes partner in France, Tobias Binz and Christian Jaag authored an article on the sensitivity underlying theoretical predictions of the pass-on rate. The article has been published in Concurrences N°4-2019.
The article can be accessed online through the Concurrences website.
Christian Jaag gave the opening keynote at the CV summit Frankfurt which is part of this year’s Euro Finance Week.
Christian Jaag shared his thoughts on “Be your own bank? The role of financial institutions in a decentralized economy”.
The Irish Commission for Aviation Regulation has published its Final Determination on the maximum level of passenger levies that Dublin Airport may charge over the 2020-24 regulatory period.
The new price cap regime ensures that passengers travelling through Dublin Airport will experience high-quality services at a reasonable cost. Swiss Economics advised the Commission on the appropriate allowance for capital costs. In our work, we considered recent developments in financial markets, Dublin Airport’s ambitious investment plans, differences in risk profiles across airports, and many other factors that play a role in determining the regulatory WACC. The Commission has published our report alongside its Final Determination on its website.
To the Swiss Economics report
To the Final Determination of the Commission for Aviation Regulation
At the "Infrastrukturtagung 2019" Christian Jaag presented a literature overview on the effects of climate change on Swiss infrastructures.
Abstract of the report:
"Wie wird sich der Klimawandel auf die Schweizer Infrastruktursektoren auswirken? Im Rahmen eines Literaturüberblicks werden Studien aus dem In- und Ausland ab dem Jahr 2007 ausgewertet. Die zusätzlichen Schäden entstehen durch den schleichenden Klimawandel und Extremereignisse. Neben dem Transport- und dem Energiesektor sind auch die Wasserversorgung, Industrieinfrastrukturen, soziale Infrastrukturen und der Tourismus betroffen. Obwohl der Klimawandel insgesamt mehr Schaden als Nutzen bringt, hat er auch positive Auswirkungen. Zum Beispiel kommt es zu weniger kältebedingten Schäden an Strassen und Schienen und die Ausgaben für Heizenergie sinken. Mit steigenden Temperaturen nimmt auch die relative Attraktivität der Schweiz als Sommer-Tourismusdestination zu. Sämtliche verfügbaren Quantifizierungen der Auswirkungen des Klimawandels sind allerdings noch mit grossen Unsicherheiten behaftet."
Christian Jaag becomes an Advisor to the Centre for Evidence Based Blockchain (CEBB) and Swiss Economics' Centre for Cryptoeconomics joins the CEEB as an institutional member.
CEBB is a neutral, independent and decentralised consortium of leading Blockchain research institutions.
Led by some of the world's most eminent academics, CEBB will devise scientific benchmarks and frameworks to support governments, businesses and policymakers in making evidence-based decisions. As a collective voice on the advancement of Evidence-Based blockchain, the academic "Think Tank" of thought leaders and researchers endeavours to establish internationally agreed standards on education, research and policy-making for blockchain technologies. CEBB will also support organisations in setting up regional and institutional EBB chapters, run by the CEBB Leads. CEBB will also assist with the advancement of high-quality research, call for papers and dissemination of scholarly content within the CEBB network. It will also facilitate joint initiatives, workshops, journal clubs, and other academic activities with CEBB members.
Christian Jaag spoke at the UPU World CEO Forum about Blockchain in the postal sector.
As digitalization takes hold and affects whole swathes of national economies, businesses need to adapt and innovate more rapidly than ever. In this context, blockchain and cryptographic technologies can be part of the answer. Yet, there are several possible elements to innovation in this area. An increasingly popular idea is to have start-ups develop the innovations that postal operators will later apply to their business processes. Christian Jaag had an Interesting discussion with Moses Ma, Derek Osborn and the world's postal CEOs about how they have considered and/or applied blockchain innovations in the international postal sector, including through partnerships with start-ups.
Following an in-depth merger examination, the Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) cleared the transaction Sunrise | Liberty Global on 23 September 2019 without any remedies. Swiss Economics closely accompanied the examination from the outset with economic expertise.
According to COMCO, the transaction will not lead to the creation or strengthening of a dominant position in any of the markets analysed. Rather, COMCO expects the takeover to stimulate competition. Further details can be found in the COMCO press release.
Swiss Economics collaborated during the whole merger examination closely with Meyerlustenberger Lachenal Ltd. (MLL), who advised and represented Sunrise in this merger control proceeding from the outset. Swiss Economics was – inter alia – responsible for data handling, contributed to the economic analysis in all phases of the merger control proceeding and drafted several reports. Our team included Samuel Rutz, Michael Funk, Matthias Hafner and Tobias Binz. On the part of MLL, the team was led by Mario Strebel and included Fabian Koch, André Berne and Göktug Gürbüz. The close collaboration between Swiss Economics and MLL ensured optimal case management both from a legal and economic perspective.
The redistribution from the rich to the poor is very important, as a new study by the University of Lucerne, in which Melanie Häner was involved, shows. A summary of the study was published in today's Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
In addition to a redistributive effect between generations, the OASI also has a redistributive effect from rich to poor. OASI contributions above a certain income have the character of a "high-wage tax" and the minimum pension acts as a basic income for pensioners. The NZZ article by Christoph Schaltegger, Christian Frey and Melanie Häner quantifies the extent of this redistribution.
Publication of a proposal for an amended Swiss electricity market design. Guarantees of origin play a crucial role.
Author: Urs Trinkner
Samuel Rutz speaks about health tourism in "Schweiz Aktuell", a daily news broadcast of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (
The video clip can be accessed through the SRG's website.
Who’s Who Legal 2019 featured Samuel Rutz, Michael Funk and Christian Jaag for their outstanding work in competition economics.
Samuel Rutz is mentioned in the following categories:
- - Competition - Economists
- - Experts - Economics - Competition Economists
WWL says: Samuel Rutz is a well-recognised figure in the Swiss market who is commended for his profound knowledge of competition regulation and policy.
Michael Funk is mentioned in the following categories:
- - Competition Future Leaders - Economists
- - Experts - Economics - Competition Economists - Future Leaders
WWL says: Michael Funk is recognised by peers as an "experienced competition economist" who is able to draw on his "great background" at the Swiss investigation authority.
Christian Jaag is mentioned in the following categories:
- - Competition - Economists
- - Experts - Economics - Competition Economists
- - Switzerland - Competition Economists
WWL says: At Swiss Economics, Christian Jaag is lauded as “one of the very best economists active today” who is “able to convey and explain highly complex matters to a broad range of audiences”. He possesses “in-depth knowledge of the area” and is known for his “great ability to challenge traditional concepts”.
We concluded the celebrations for our 10th anniversary with a trip to the Monte Rosa Hut.
We concluded the celebrations for our 10-year-anniversary with a trip to the Monte Rosa Hut in the Swiss Alps close to Zermatt. Guided by Peter Schoch we enjoyed the beautiful nature between Matterhorn and Monte Rosa.
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Start towards Monte Rosa |
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"Edelweiss" on the wayside |
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Entrance of the Gorner Glacier |
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Monte Rosa Hut during dinner |
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| On the panoramic tour back to Zermatt |
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Crevasse in the upper part of the Gorner Glacier |
Swiss Economics' center for cryptoeconomics is awarded with the Fintech Award "Best Economic Research & Consulting Services 2019 - Europe" hosted by Wealth & Finance International.
To the Award
More on the Center for Cryptoeconomics (cryptecon)
Swiss Economics is happy to announce the new collaboration with CV VC, a Swiss venture capital company for start-ups using Blockchain technology.
Swiss Economics' collaborates with CV VC, the largest investment ecosystem for start-ups using Blockchain technology in Zug, Switzerland. Swiss Economic's platform for blockchain and cryptocurrencies (cryptecon) mentors the participants of the CV Labs Incubation Program. The first edition of the program is now ongoing. Out of 500 applications from 35 countries, 12 startups were selected to participate in the program.
Christian Jaag and Matthias Hafner met the start-ups and presented their expertise and experience in platform and monetary economics for token-based projects. They presented the most important characteristics, considerations and decisions to be made when designing token-based ecosystems.
Urs Trinkner presented his views on how to improve the institutional design of the Swiss rail market at the Lucerne symposium "20 years of railways reform".
To the presentation
To the program
Michael Funk gave two speeches at the 27th Conference for Postal and Delivery Economics in rainy Dublin.
Michael Funk presented his interpretation of the seminal Post Denmark II decision as well as a paper by his colleagues Andreas Haller, Christian Jaag, and Urs Trinkner on the funding of the USO and net cost balancing. As always, this yearly conference of academics and practitioners provided a tremendous opportunity for learning and connecting.
Publication of Samuel Rutz and Urs Trinkner on the economics of water and whether Swiss water utilities should be privatised or not.
Wasser ist aus ökonomischer Sicht kein öffentliches Gut. Gleichwohl kann die leitungsgebundene Wasserversorgung nicht unbesehen den Marktkräften überlassen werden, da insbesondere beim Verteilnetz ein «monopolistischer Engpass» besteht. Die Ausgangslage präsentiert sich ähnlich wie bei Strom-, Gas- und Schienennetzen: Entweder erbringt die öffentliche Hand die gewünschte Versorgung selbst, oder sie übergibt diese an öffentliche oder private Leistungserbringer. Im zweiten Fall gewährleistet er die Qualität der Wasserversorgung durch Regulierung. Aus ökonomischer Sicht sind beide Wege gangbar. Für Schweizer Gemeinden, die über eine gute direktdemokratische Kontrolle verfügen, kann die öffentliche Eigenerbringung vorteilhaft sein.
Autoren: Samuel Rutz, Urs Trinkner