Details
This insightful and original book considers the evolution, aims and developments of EU antitrust policy, and focuses on the way in which the European Commission has sought to combat cartels.
Lee McGowan expertly explores the European Commission’s cartel policy by examining competition policy from a politics/public policy perspective, and discusses the actors, ideas and policy developments involved. This topical study of EU cartel policy provides a fascinating account of supranational governance in action as the Commission looks for increasingly imaginative means to detect, unearth and penalize cartel offenders, through new regulations and strategic policy choices. The author traces the evolution of the European approach to cartels from 1870 with a major focus on the developments after 1945, especially the institutional architecture and policy advancements.
This unique book will be invaluable for students of politics and European integration whose focus is on the politics and policies of the EU and, in particular, on cartel policy. It will appeal to students of law, public policy, business and European studies and will also prove enticing for those studying regulatory politics and policy making.
- Contents:
- 1. The Origins and Scope of European Competition Policy: Themes and Purpose
- 2. Uncovering Cartels: Understanding the Approaches and Complexities of Collusive Agreements
- 3. The Rise of the Cartel: Toleration, Encouragement and the Control of Cartels in Europe, 1871 to 1945
- 4. The Dawn of the Competition Principle in Western Europe, 1945–1957
- 5. Establishing the Architecture of EU Cartel Governance, 1958–1962
- 6. European Cartel Policy: Deployment and Combat, 1962–1998
- 7. The Decussis Mirabalis and the Antitrust Revolution, 1999 to the Present
- 8. The Internationalisation of Cartel Policy and the Challenges Ahead
Lee McGowan, Senior Lecturer in European Studies, Queen’s University Belfast, UK
‘The presentation is lively and will be appealing also to the layman who seeks a scientific yet less legal or economic introduction to the most successful policy of the European Union of the last fifty years.’
– Assimakis P. Komninos, World Competition
‘We can highly recommend this book to lawyers, politicians and political scientists, especially those looking for a broader grounding in cartel policy as all the goal posts seem to be moving. . . it’s a great read McGowan, so thanks at least for the ideas!’
– Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, The Barrister Magazine
‘The Antitrust Revolution in Europe is valuable reading for its main audience, ie political scientists specializing in EU politics and policies. . . the book provides an excellent account of the relation between socio-political conditions and the development of antitrust and the reader (including economists) can find a lot of interesting information on the evolution of competition policy in Europe.’
– Konstantinos Charistos and Christos Constantatos, South-Eastern Europe Journal of Economics
‘Lee McGowan’s authoritative book is a very welcome addition to the literature on developments in European antitrust. It focuses primarily on EU supernational cartel policy, providing a fascinating, critical account of why policy developed as it has and of its effectiveness in detecting, punishing and deterring cartelists to the present. With its emphasis on institutional structures and decision making processes and its use of examples, the book will be an invaluable reference for political scientists and should also attract a wide readership among economists and lawyers.’
– Eleanor J. Morgan, University of Bath, UK
‘Lee McGowan’s The Antitrust Revolution in Europe is a must-have contribution to any serious bookshelf on EU competition policy. In particular, he skilfully fills a gap in the literature on EU cartel policy. The book will be immensely useful to scholars, students and practitioners interested in the development and future challenges of this under-studied area of competition policy. McGowan deftly employs a politics/public policy approach that usefully applies central themes of actors, ideas and policy developments. McGowan expertly combines historical analysis with careful empirical work on recent developments. His investigation of the internationalisation of cartel policy helps to elucidate the future internal and external challenges in this important policy area.’
– Chad Damro, University of Edinburgh, UK
