Research in this field consists of two broad areas. The first area – Theory and Implementation of Competition Law and Policy – refers to fundamental and applied research into topics that are traditionally seen as the core of competition policy. The second area – Scope of Competition Law and Policy – refers to all research on the effect and desirability of including new considerations in competition law and policy in order to address the challenges of our time, such as the increasing power of big tech firms, or global warming.
Theory and Implementation of Competition Policy
This covers for instance collusion, abuse of dominance, mergers, market regulation and state aid. Some examples of research topics are:
- the practices firms can use to engage in collusion and its welfare consequences;
- the practices firms can use to abuse a dominant position and its welfare consequences;
- which practices can be considered proof of such activities;
- how to regulate access to a market;
- how to properly assess the effects of a particular practice or merger;
- the practices, by which the state and public authorities distort competition such as subisidies and tax measures
- the interpretation and application of EU and national competition law by Competition Authorities and Courts and the extent to which they achieve the goals of competition policy
Scope of Competition Policy
The effectiveness of European competition law and policy in combination with rapid technological changes have raised questions about its proper scope. Which policy objectives can and should be pursued by means of competition law and policy, and which should be delegated to other legal fields and policies? Some examples of specific research questions include:
- Can and should competition law be used to protect the privacy of consumers on the internet?
- Information gathered by firms can be used to increase their own profits. How does this affect consumers, and what does this depend on? Can and should competition law deal with market power derived from information gathering? For instance, should the big five tech giants be forced to divest activities?
- Should competition policy also include considerations of economic inequality or environmental effects?
- Can competition law remain effective if it is used for more than safeguarding fair competition?