About Reckon > Staff > Pedro Fernandes
Pedro Fernandes (Partner)
![[Pedro Fernandes]](/photo-pf.jpg)
Pedro Fernandes has eight years' experience of advising clients on the economics of competition, regulation and public policy, leading and contributing to projects for regulatory and government bodies as well as for private-sector clients, in the UK and overseas. He has worked across a range of sectors including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, payment systems, water and rail.
He has strong academic and practical knowledge of econometric and statistical analysis, including the assessment of relative efficiency and empirical work to support policy development and impact assessment.
Discussion papers
Comment on Minister's Brisa/AEO merger decision
June 2006
This brief paper comments on the decision by the Portuguese Economics and Innovation Minister to allow the merger of the motorway operators Brisa and Auto-Estrada do Oeste (AEO) on the grounds that this will spur Brisa's efforts to innovate and improve Brisa's ability to compete internationally, and that both of these effects are in the national interest. The paper argues that there are gaps in the Minister's reasoning. No evidence is put forward to suggest a link between the merger and either of these effects. In addition, the decision has not examined whether allowing the merger is proportionate to the objective of improving Brisa's performance. The paper also notes some shortcomings in the decision's analysis of the effects of the merger on competition.
Download (2 pages in Portuguese, PDF) • Discuss on Reckon Open
When assumptions go unquestioned
November 2004
Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a technique to estimate the production function of a set of relevant units on the basis of the levels of inputs used and outputs produced actually observed. The paper discusses the assumptions underlying the more familiar models of DEA and emphasises that, at the peril of drawing invalid inferences, the analyst must justify those assumptions. In applications to the UK water and electricity distribution, such justifications are typically not given and the paper finds grounds to argue that some of these assumptions are in fact not satisfied.

![Go to PDF [thumbnail]](http://www.reckon.co.uk/reckon-brisa-aeo-junho2006.gif)
![Go to PDF [thumbnail]](http://www.reckon.co.uk/ReckonDEANov2004.gif)