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| DROI2030-3 | Economic aspects of law and competition
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| Duration : | 20h Th |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Nicolas Petit |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Organisation and examination :
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| Teaching in the first semester, review in January |
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Course contents :
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| In an era where interdisciplinarity has become the key word, this course offers to the students the opportunity to gain the economic skills needed to understand, analyze and then criticize the enforcement of competition law.
This course offers a general introduction to economic theory (classic and neo classic theories and related key notions - monopoly, oligopoly, market failure, transaction costs, agency theory, natural monopoly, etc.) and its tools (consumer welfare, economic efficiency, cost definitions, prices, entry barriers, etc.).
The course describes three types of strategic behaviors likely to alter competition:
- acquisition of market power (through horizontal, vertical and conglomerate mergers);
- strengthening of market power (or exclusive strategies directed against rival undertakings); and,
- exploitation of market power (cartels, price discrimination and excessive prices). |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- read and understand the economic literature about antitrust and industrial organization ;
- criticize EU case law against the findings of economic theory ;
- use economic arguments to support/challenge the legality of a business practice. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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| This course starts with the basics of the economics of competition law. Hence, no prerequisites are required.
However, students are advised to follow DROI0271-1 "Droit européen de la concurrence", taught by N. PETIT, in order for cross-fertilization of the teachings. |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| The professor will take a practice-oriented approach: examples studied during the course will mainly be based on case law. |
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| The course is an ex-cathedra course |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| The following books may be used for further readings:
o M. MOTTA, Competition policy: Theory and practice, Cambridge, University Press, 2004;
o S. BISHOP & M. WALKER, The economics of EC competition law : concepts, application and measurement, London, Sweet & Maxwell, 2010. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| Students are required to write an essay on an economic topic relevant for competition law. The paper is then discussed during an oral exam. |
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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Contacts :
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| nicolas.petit@ulg.ac.be |
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