CC02021-07-212021-07-212011https://e-bp.inp.pan.pl/handle/123456789/541Competition policy refers to government policy to preserve or promote competition among market players and to promote other government policies and processes that enable a competitive environment to develop. Differing environments imply that the design of the competition regime should differ too. However, there are some features that characterize efficient public regulatory bodies. Among these are independence; transparency; accountability; assuring due process; being well funded in proportion to the mandate; being staffed by well-educated, well-trained and non-corrupt persons; and having an appellate process that itself is well structured and noncorrupt. More recent discussion about competition agencies indicates that evaluation is necessary too. Among the internal processes, defining objectives and priorities, appropriately allocating resources, and taking effective decisions are necessary to an effective competition agency. This paper first addresses how to define an effective competition agency, and the importance of evaluation in that context. The next two sections address different factors that form the foundations of an effective competition agency. Much of the content of the first three sections applies to competition agencies in both developing and developed countries. The last two sections focus, respectively, on young competition agencies, and on what might be called “barefoot competition offices” – those without significant political or financial support.enOther