Populism and Antitrust

Competition law is designed to promote a consumer-friendly economy, but for the law to work in practice, competition agencies - and the courts who oversee them - must enforce it effectively and impartially. Today, however, the rule of populist governments is challenging the foundations of competition law in unprecedented ways. In this comprehensive work, Maciej Bernatt analyses these challenges and describes how populist governments have influenced national and regional (EU) competition law systems. Using empirical findings from Poland and Hungary, Bernatt proposes a new theoretical framework that will allow the illiberal influence of populism on competition law systems to be better measured and understood. Populism and Antitrust will be of interest not only to antitrust and constitutional law scholars, but also to those concerned about the future of liberal democracy and free markets.

'Maciej Bernatt's monograph on populism, democracy and antitrust is a fascinating and extraordinary treatment of a critical socio/economic/political problem that is touching much of the world today. The book is an erudite and accessible account of the rise and spread of autocratic populism, its corrosive effect on rule of law and democracy, an identification of the discontents that fan the flames and need attention, and wise institutional suggestions for conquering this serious challenge to democracy. Bernatt brings together the threads of politics and economics, of grass-roots factual detail with institutional capabilities and performance, and of paths for action, that has not been done before.' Eleanor Fox, Walter J. Derenberg Professor of Trade Regulation, New York University School of Law

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