Welcome to the Competition Law & Economics Network
Competitive markets deliver benefits that Australians value – consumer choice, affordable prices, innovation in goods and services, among them. The regulation of competition to ensure the delivery of such benefits has been a government policy with bipartisan support for over 30 years in this country. It is a policy shared by more than 100 governments around the world. However, competition regulation raises many challenging questions of both design and implementation. How do we define and measure competition for this purpose? What are the costs of competition? How do we balance the costs and the benefits? Who should decide when the rules of competition have been broken? What tests should apply and what information is necessary for their application? What should be the consequences for the companies and individuals responsible for breaking the rules?
These are some of the key questions that engage members of the Competition Law & Economics Network. We are a network of people engaged in researching and teaching, individually and collaboratively, in this exciting and significant interdisciplinary field. Members of the Network are associated with a wide range of research and teaching activities in areas of law, economics, regulation, sociology and other disciplines with a bearing on the regulation of competition. They are affiliated with one or more of the faculties of the University of Melbourne, including the Melbourne Law School, the Faculty of Business & Economics and the Melbourne Business School. They include full-time academics, as well as practitioners and regulators, from around Australia and the world.
We hope that you enjoy learning about the extensive range of competition law and economics-related activities at the University of Melbourne from our Network website.
Director, Competition Law & Economics Network
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Forthcoming: CLEN Discussion Group, Thursday 24 May from 12.30pm. Venue is to be confirmed. Melbourne Law School. For more details, click here.
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The Second Annual Baxt Lecture in Competition Law, by Professor Richard Whish, took place on 24th August 2011. For more details click here.
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Hot Tub Video: on 4 May 2011, a mock performance of the way in which economic evidence is often taken was held at the Melbourne Law School in front of students and filmed as a future teaching resource. For further details, see here.
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Roundtable on Private Enforcement of Competition Law, an invitation-only event was held on 12 November 2010, at Melbourne Law School, aimed at engendering constructive debate amongst stakeholders about this important topic. For more information, click here or contact Associate Professor Caron Beaton-Wells.
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New book: Australian Cartel Regulation - Law Policy and Practice in an International Context' by Associate Professor Caron Beaton Wells and Professor Brent Fisse, published by Cambridge University Press, February 2011
For further information, including how to order this book, click
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New book: 'Criminalising Cartels: Critical Studies of an International Regulatory Movement' edited by Associate Professor Caron Beaton Wells and Dr Ariel Ezrachi, published by Hart Publishing, February 2011
For further information, click here
For further information, including how to order this book, click here
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A report on a major survey of the Australian public regarding anti-cartel law enforcement has been released by the University of Melbourne Cartel project team. To view the report, click here