EU Competition Policy Revisited: Economic Doctrines Within European Political Work

Matthieu Montalban, Sigfrido Ramirez-Perez and Andy Smith

Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) from Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA)

Abstract: European Union competition policy is often described as neoliberal, without this leading to more investigation. This paper highlights how the European Competition policy doctrine has been shaped, how the ordoliberal movement and the Chicago school ideas have been implemented and supported by the political work of some key actors. We show that, contrary to what is sometimes said in literature, ordoliberal actors were neither hegemonic nor leaders between Rome Treaty and the eighties, even if some neoliberal principles were introduced in antitrust law. These laws are much more a compromise between French and German representatives, and between neo-mercantilists and ordoliberals. However, things have dramatically changed since the eighties, when both (1) new political work from members of the Commission introduced in the European competition policy elements of Chicago School doctrine to complete the European market and (2) some decisions from the ECJ clarified the doctrine of EU Competition law. Nowadays, European competition policy is a mix between an ordoliberal spirit and some Chicago School doctrinal elements.

Keywords: competition; policy; European Union; neoliberalism; ordoliberalism; political work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L4 N4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com, nep-hme, nep-ind and nep-reg
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: EU Competition policy revisited: Economic Doctrines within european political work (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:grt:wpegrt:2011-33

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