Asian Capitalism and the Regulation of Competition explores the implications of Asian forms of capitalism and their regulation of competition for the emerging global competition law regime. Expert contributors from a variety of backgrounds explore the topic through the lenses of formal law, soft law and transnational regulation, and make extensive comparisons with Euro-American and global models. Case studies include Japan, China and Vietnam, and thematic studies include examinations of competition law's relationship with other regulatory terrains such as public law, market culture, regulatory geography and transnational production networks.
In a short span of years, the landscape of global competition has changed significantly. In particular, international cooperation in competition law enforcement has greatly strengthened the battle against abuse of dominance, cartels, anticompetitive mergers and related political corruption. This thoroughly researched book explains the current situation regarding joint investigations, identifies common problems and considers possible solutions and future developments. In addition to covering issues of competition policy, its authors look in detail at practice in both merger and conduct investigations in a variety of countries.
"The modern concept of competition law as a proper activity of the State (or group of States, in the case of regional integration areas), and the philosophical orientations that underlie that concept, are largely 'western' inventions. Shortly after the enactment of the first modern antitrust law in the world in Canada in 1889, the United States promulgated the Sherman Act in 1890, and throughout the 20th Century this iconic Act had an enduring and growing international influence. In many dimensions, the dominant paradigms of the competition laws of the United States and the European Union have been assumed to be models fit for emulation in the competition laws of nations around the globe. While the United States and European Union models have important differences, they both embrace (notwithstanding vibrant academic debates) the conceptual foundations of classical and neoclassical economic principles. The extent to which these models resonate and are received as 'transplants' in other parts of the world, and in the present case East Asia, is an ongoing matter of inquiry and debate"--
An influential policy thinker and "muse of the Asian Century" ("Foreign Policy") illuminates the contours of our new global civilization, and shows why power must shift to reflect the new reality.
Over the last three decades, the field of antitrust law has grown increasingly prominent, and more than one hundred countries have enacted competition law statutes. As competition law expands to jurisdictions with very different economic, social, cultural, and institutional backgrounds, the debates over its usefulness have similarly evolved. This book, the first in a new series on global competition law, critically assesses the importance of competition law, its development and modern practice, and the global limits that have emerged. This volume will be a key resource to both scholars and practitioners interested in antitrust, competition law, economics, business strategy, and administrative sciences.
Global competition now shapes economies and societies in ways unimaginable only a few years ago, and competition (or 'antitrust') law is a key component of the legal framework for global competition. These laws are intended to protect competition from distortion and restraint, and on the national level they reflect the relationships between markets, their participants, and those affected by them. The current legal framework for the global economy is provided, however, by national laws and institutions. This means that those few governments that have sufficient 'power' to apply their laws to conduct outside their own territory provide the norms of global competition. This has long meant that the US (and, more recently, the EU) structure global competition, but China and other countries are increasingly using their economic and political leverage to apply their own competition laws to global markets. The result is increasing uncertainty, costs, and conflicts that burden global economic development. This book examines competition law on the global level and reveals its often complex and little-understood dynamics. It focuses on the interactions between national and international legal regimes that are central to these dynamics and a key to understanding them. Part I examines the evolution of the current global system, the factors that have shaped it, how it operates today, and recent efforts to alter that system-e.g., by including competition law in the WTO. Part II focuses on national competition law systems, revealing how national laws and experiences shape global competition law dynamics and how global factors, in turn, shape national laws and experiences. It examines the central roles of US and European law and experience, and it also pays close attention to countries such as China that are playing increasingly important roles in the global competition law arena. Part III analyzes current strategies for improving the legal framework for global competition and identifies the factors that may contribute to a system that more effectively supports global economic and political development. This analysis also suggests a pathway for moving toward that goal.
Amongst other regional organisations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stands out for the diversity of its ten Member States, stemming from their respective economic and political heritage, governance systems, legal institutions, stages of economic development, and exposure to or reliance on foreign trade and investments. As of 2017, however, the regional bloc has formalised its focus on economic integration and development of a regional competition law. Challenging this vision are the States’ very different national competition law systems, ongoing problems with governmental intervention in the economy, and lack of effective and efficient corruption-free regulatory and juridical infrastructure. This book, the first detailed analysis of competition law in the ASEAN countries, looks at the prospects of implementation for the regional law and compares the existing systems in each Member State. Opening with a thorough description of the composition and organisation of the ASEAN, the analysis proceeds to an in-depth evaluation of such aspects as the following: – persistence of the ASEAN’s traditional mode of dispute resolution, often referred to as the ASEAN Way; – economic challenges posed by intra-regional growth and globalisation; – the strong relationship between the business and government sectors; and – governmental interventions as cultural practices. There is detailed reference throughout to case law, legislation, institutional announcements, relevant treaties, and literature on both the ASEAN and competition law. As an important critical analysis of this major new regional competition law regime, this book will be welcomed by competition law practitioners, multinational corporation counsel, and jurists, officials, and academics in a variety of legal fields. Although the subject is specifically the ASEAN, the analysis contributes to a better understanding of competition law regimes in developing economies and to the more general literature on global competition law.
This book brings together perspectives of development economics and law to tackle the relationship between competition law enforcement and economic development. It addresses the question of whether, and how, competition law enforcement helps to promote economic growth and development. This question is highly pertinent for developing countries largely because many developing countries have only adopted competition law in recent years: about thirty jurisdictions had in place a competition law in the early 1980s, and there are now more than 130 competition law regimes across the world, of which many are developing countries. The book proposes a customized approach to competition law enforcement for developing countries, set against the background of the academic and policy debate concerning convergence of competition law. The implicit premise of convergence is that there may exist one, or a few, correct approaches to competition law enforcement, which in most cases emanate from developed jurisdictions, that are applicable to all. This book rejects this assumption and argues that developing countries ought to tailor competition law enforcement to their own economic and political circumstances. In particular, it suggests how competition law enforcement can better incorporate development concerns without causing undue dilution of its traditional focus on protecting consumer welfare. It proposes ways in which approaches to competition law enforcement need to be adjusted to reflect the special economic characteristics of developing country economies and the more limited enforcement capacity of developing country competition authorities. Finally, it also addresses the long-running debate concerning the desirability and viability of industrial policy for developing countries. The author would like to acknowledge the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong for its generous support. The work in this book was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Project No. HKU 742412H).
