Universität Wien

040051 UK Competition Policy (BA) (2017W)

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Wednesday 04.10. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 11.10. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 18.10. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 25.10. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 08.11. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 15.11. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 22.11. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Wednesday 29.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 1 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
Wednesday 06.12. 09:45 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Wednesday 13.12. 09:45 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Wednesday 10.01. 09:45 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Wednesday 17.01. 09:45 - 13:00 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Wednesday 24.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
Wednesday 24.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 9 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In the words of the European Commission: "Competition puts businesses under constant pressure to offer the best possible range of goods at the best possible prices, because if they don't, consumers have the choice to buy elsewhere. In a free market, business should be a competitive game with consumers as the beneficiaries. Sometimes companies try to limit competition. To preserve well-functioning product markets, authorities like the Commission must prevent or correct anti-competitive behaviour. [...] Competition policy is about applying rules to make sure businesses and companies compete fairly with each other. This encourages enterprise and efficiency, creates a wider choice for consumers and helps reduce prices and improve quality."
(See http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consumers/what_en.html and http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consumers/why_en.html.)

Since competition policy is becoming more and more important, there is higher demand for economists with knowledge of competition policy and industrial organization, with employment opportunities in government agencies (ministry of economic affairs, competition authority like BWB in Austria) or in consulting firms. The skill to talk intelligently about business practices and why they are good or bad for the firms and/or for society is becoming more valuable.

The main purpose of this course is to introduce the economics and the main concepts of competition policy (while it deals with the important legal side of competition policy only to a very limited extent).

Specific Contents of this Course:
1. Introduction to competition policy
2. Brief repetition of basic market models and basic concepts of game theory
3. Horizontal agreements, cartels and collusion
4. Vertical restraints (restrictions in agreements between firms at different levels of the production and distribution chain)
5. Merger guidelines: horizontal, vertical and conglomerate mergers
6. Abuse of a dominant position (where a bigger company tries to make a competing firm leave the market)

Assessment and permitted materials

Midterm Exam, Final Exam, Homework, Term Paper and Presentation on a competition policy case. Details will be provided during the first class meeting.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

Reading list

Main book: Massimo Motta, 2004, Competition Policy: Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:28