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The Reform of UK Competition Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2020

Donald Hay  and
John Vickers
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Extract

The most important government review of UK competition since Mrs Thatcher came into office has recently taken place. The review, which was announced in June 1986, was concerned with two aspects of policy—mergers and restrictive trade practices (RTP). Its conclusions were published in March 1988 in a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) document, ‘Mergers policy’, and in a major Green Paper entitled ‘Review of restrictive trade practices policy’ (Cm 331, 1988). The proposals on RTP involve a fundamental change in policy. The new law will consider restrictive practices in terms of their economic effects upon competition and not, as at present, with the emphasis on their legal form. This reform will require new methods of operation and will be backed up by tougher powers and penalties than have hitherto been available in Britain.

Type
Articles
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 125 , August 1988 , pp. 56 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © 1988 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

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Footnotes

This is the first article from members of the CLARE Group to appear in the Review. Future articles will normally appear about twice a year. The Review is pleased to give hospitality to the deliberations of the CLARE Group but is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed. Members of the CLARE Group are M. J. Artis, A. J. C. Britton, W. A. Brown, C. H. Feinstein, C. A. E. Goodhart, D. A. Hay, J. A. Kay, R. C. O. Matthews, M. H. Miller, P. M. Oppenheimer, M. V. Posner, W. B. Reddaway, J. R. Sargent, M. F-G. Scott, Z. A. Silberston, J. H. B. Tew, J. S. Vickers, S. Wadhwani.

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