Evolution of Competition Laws and their Enforcement: A Political Economy Perspective

This edited volume identifies the various country specific factors that warrant changes in the design and implementation of competition laws.

The book covers case studies of nine countries of differing sizes and at varying stages of economic development, that have at one stage or another repealed extant competition laws for new ones, and seeks to examine the motivations and contexts under which this was done. The countries examined include the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Ireland, Poland, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania and the UK. Tracing the evolution of competition regimes in the countries covered, the book provides lessons for countries still in the process of forming their competition regimes. The contributions show that the road to strong competition regimes is seldom smooth, and that social, economic and political factors in the country hugely impact on the pace and effectiveness of competition reforms. The volume also addresses the issue of when the development of competition policies and laws can be seen to be in conflict with national development strategies.

Pradeep S. Mehta is the founder Secretary General of Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), a leading economic policy research, advocacy and networking organisation, and serves on several policy-making bodies of the Government of India, related to trade, investment, competition, environment and consumer affairs.