This module critically examines competition law from the perspective of laws operating in the European Union, the United States and internationally. An emphasis will be placed on an understanding of the objectives and underlying economic principles which guide the interpretation and enforcement of these laws.
Specific topics will be studied within the general themes of the legal framework, institutions and approaches to the regulation of specific anti-competitive conduct and merger regulation. A special emphasis will be placed on recent developments in the competition regulation of digital platforms. The institutional design of competition law and the application of competition law in developing and least developed jurisdictions will be also be examined. The operation of competition law will be examined within the context of the global economy, specifically: the extraterritorial reach of competition laws; the co-ordination of international competition investigations through bilateral and multilateral agreements and; attempts to harmonise competition law enforcement through a ‘global competition law’.
Provide students with the knowledge and understanding of competition law from the perspective of laws operating internationally with particular emphasis on those in the United States and European Union.
Critical evaluation of the economic principles and political objectives which guide the interpretation and enforcement of these laws in a global context.
Understanding of the legal framework, institutions and approaches to the regulation of specific anti-competitive conduct and merger regulation; the ability to evaluate complex legal and policy problems and to conduct independent research.
Critical evaluation of the operation of competition laws in least developed, developing and transition economies.
Critical evaluation of the content and operation of competition laws in the global economy, the operation of international agreements and international efforts towards the harmonisation of competition laws.
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
A selection of the following topics will be covered. It is not possible to cover all of these topics in depth in a 9 week module.
The economics of competition law and goals of competition law, including welfare and distributional issues; Markets and competition; Agreements in restraint of trade, cartels; vertical agreements; The regulation of monopoly power; the competition regulation of digital platforms; The regulation of structure: merger control; Competition law in developing countries, transition and least developed countries; Competition Law and Institutional Design; Enforcement; Internationalisation: extraterritoriality and ‘global competition laws’.
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
There is no set textbook. All the required readings and other materials can be found on the module moodle.
Further references:
Elhauge, E., and D. Geradin, Global Competition Law and Economics (Hart)
Fox, E., & Geradin, D., EU Competition Law: Cases Text Context (Edward Elgar)
Jones, Sufrin & Dunne, EU Competition Law (Oxford University Press).
Lianos, I., V. Korah and P. Siciliani, Competition Law: Analysis, Cases & Materials (Oxford University Press).
Van Den Bergh, R., Comparative Competition Law and Economics (Edward Elgar)
Whish and Bailey, Competition Law (Oxford University Press)
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Law and economics
Critically examines competition law from a comparative and international perspective. The institutional design and application of competition law in developing and least developed jurisdictions is also examined.
No subject specific skills defined for this module.
No transferable skills defined for this module.
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 27 sessions of 1 hour (14%) |
| Private study | 173 hours (86%) |
| Total | 200 hours |
No private study requirements defined for this module.
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4000 word essay | 100% | No | |
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Research essay of 4,000 words on an approved topic. |
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This module is Option list C for: