Competition law has witnessed an impressive increase in significance and geographical scope during the last two decades or so. From the situation which existed in the 1980s – when there were only a few systems of competition law in the world – we have moved to a new one where currently there are about 145 jurisdictions in which some form of competition law has been introduced with many others seeking to develop the process. It is anticipated that this remarkable geographical expansion of the law will increase in the future.
With this unprecedented increase in significance and remarkable geographical expansion of the law (as well as other significant developments such as the process of globalisation), it has become important to examine the role and place of competition law and policy in a globalised economy. The course will aim at such an examination.
The course is designed to include ‘comparative’ elements, covering, among other things, developed competition law systems (EU competition law, US antitrust law, German competition law and the Japanese competition law system), and the newer competition systems such as those of BRICS nations. The origins, structure, major provisions and the enforcement mechanisms of these systems will be discussed. In the light of the globalisation of markets, this module will focus on the different elements of various competition law systems. Starting with an introduction to competition law and economics, we will then proceed with discussing different regimes in a comparative perspective.
4,000 word essay
15 credits