Edward Elgar Publishing European Policies on Competition, Trade and Industry: Conflict and Complementarities

Can industrial, trade and competition policies complement one another? In this major volume, a distinguished group of researchers and policymakers systematically investigates the relationships between the microeconomic policies of competition, trade and industry within the European Union. After an introductory chapter contrasting the optimal mix of targets and instruments with the effective use and interaction of policies that can be observed in the real world, the book addresses the experience of the EU, its institutional framework and the evolving use of instruments. The convergence and divergence of economic prescription and application are revealed through an outstanding set of case studies which focus on the automobile, chemical fibre, steel, telecommunication and pharmaceutical industries. Competition, trade and industrial policies play a central role in the efficiency of any market economy and the rich European experience offers valuable lessons for economists, regulators and policy makers from both inside and outside the union. European Policies on Competition, Trade and Industry offers an authoritative discussion of policy making and enforcement in the EU. The strong combination of analysis with detailed case studies and overviews will ensure that this book will make a pioneering contribution to understanding the development of microeconomic policies in the Union. Review ‘The book as a whole, although resulting from a conference, is a coherent and valuable study, which throws much light on the policies and practices of the institutions of the European Community.’ -- Aubrey Silberston, The Economic Journal ‘The value of the book is that it is not only descriptive, but also analytical, and it does not restrict itself to the past and present situation, but also offers a view of the possible course of events in the future. In spite of the complexity of the issues, the material is presented in a non-technical way and it is approachable to a wide audience: academic research and teaching, business, law and government affairs. Therefore, it will be a standard reference text for the subject.’ -- Miroslav N. Jovanovic, Economic Notes About the Author Edited by Pierre Buigues, Professor of Strategy, European Strategies and Competition Policy, Toulouse Business School, France, the late Alexis Jacquemin, Former Chief Advisor, European Commission and Professor of Economics, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium and André Sapir, Professor of Economics, ECARES, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium