Books by Angela Wigger
The Politics of European Competition Regulation provides an original and theoretically informed a... more The Politics of European Competition Regulation provides an original and theoretically informed account of the political power struggles that have shaped the evolution of European competition regulation over the past six decades.
Applying a critical political economy perspective, this book analyses the establishment and development of competition regulation at European Community and national level since the 1950s. It puts forth the central argument that competition regulation came to reflect the broader shift towards a neoliberal order since the 1980s. Buch-Hansen and Wigger argue that this shift, which took place against the background of the gradual transnationalisation of capitalist production and the economic crisis of the late 1970s, was driven by the European Commission in alliance with the emerging transnational capitalist class.
The authors examine the political responses to the current global economic crisis in the fields of state aid, cartel prosecution and merger control and conclude that an alternative type of competition regulation, which forms part of a much broader transformation of the current socioeconomic order, is needed. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of (global) political economy, European integration and competition law.
Articles by Angela Wigger
In E. Hartmann and P.F. Kjaer (eds)The Evolution of Intermediary Institutions in Europe. From Corporatism to Governance. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave McMillan.
in: J. Jaeger and E. Springer (eds) Asymmetric Crisis in Europe and Possible Futures. Critical Political Economy and Post-Keynesian Perspectives. New York: Routledge. RIPE Series in Global Political Economy.
The global financial and economic crisis has prompted some scholars to suggest that a fundamental... more The global financial and economic crisis has prompted some scholars to suggest that a fundamental regulatory shift away from neoliberalism will take place – both in general and in the field of EU competition regulation. This paper shows that so far no radical break with the neoliberal type of competition regulation is heaving into sight. It sets out to explain this from the vantage point of a critical political economy perspective, which identifies the circumstances under which a crisis can result in a regulatory paradigm shift. Contrasting the current situation with the shift in EC/EU competition regulation after the crisis in the 1970s, the paper argues that the preconditions for a fundamental shift in this issue area are not present this time around. Several reasons account for this: the current crisis has been construed by economic and political elites as a crisis within and not of neoliberal capitalism; the social power configuration underpinning the neoliberal order remains unaltered; no clear counter-project has surfaced; the European Commission has been (and remains) in a position to oppose radical changes; and finally, there are no signs of a wider paradigm shift in the EU's regulatory architecture.
Volonté Générale. Debat. Visie. Toekomst, 2 (Mei-Juni).
In: M. Johnson (ed.) Labour, Work and Politics. New York: Routledge.
In L. Pradella and T. Marois (eds) Polarizing Development. Alternatives to Neoliberalism and the Crisis. London: Pluto Press. Co-authored by L. Horn.
New Political Science: A Journal of Politics and Culture, 35(4): 604-626., Dec 2013
Since the mid-1980s, and particularly throughout the first decade of the 21st century, the impera... more Since the mid-1980s, and particularly throughout the first decade of the 21st century, the imperative of capitalist competition has become a totalizing and all-pervasive logic expanding to ever more social domains and geographical areas around the world. Sustained by neoliberal competition regulation and other regulatory provisions, excessive competition (over-competition) in the process of capital accumulation has become a major global force with highly detrimental social and environmental downsides . From the vantage point of a historical materialist perspective, the article provides an explanatory critique of capitalist competition and the atomistic and reductionist social scientific precepts that serve to legitimize the neoliberal type of competition regulation . By critically engaging with principles and values central to anarchism, such as equity, solidarity, cooperation, mutual aid and environmental sustainability, the article seeks to outline an alternative vision to the ideas and social practices that have sustained the existing competition order thus far.
Embedded in Business, Politics & Society, 3(1): 36-48. Co-authored by H. Buch-Hansen.
Das Argument. Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Sozialwissenschaften, 301(2013): 200-209. With L. Horn.
Ungleiche Entwicklung und politischer Widerstand -auf zu einem europäischen Frühling? Die Krisenm... more Ungleiche Entwicklung und politischer Widerstand -auf zu einem europäischen Frühling? Die Krisenmaßnahmen zur Wiederherstellung der wirtschaftlichen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Haushaltsdisziplin durch Sparmaßnahmen und tiefgreifende Arbeitsmarktreformen haben vielerorts in der EU Protestaktionen ausgelöst. Allein im letzten Jahr haben im Februar in Spanien Hunderttausende gegen Ausgabenkürzungen und die zunehmende Flexibilisierung und Deregulierung des Arbeitsrechts demonstriert. Im Juni marschierten Tausende als Zeichen der Solidarität mit dem Protest von Bergleuten nach Madrid. Im September demonstrierten in Griechenland 200 000 Bürger gegen weitere Lohn-und Rentenkürzungen, und in London nahmen im Oktober 130 000 Menschen an einer Gewerkschaftsdemonstration teil. Zahllose weitere Märsche und Streiks von Schülern, Lehrern und Eltern, Angestellten im Gesundheitswesen oder im Pharma-, Auto-, Schiffbau-oder Transportgewerbe könnte man noch erwähnen. Darüber hinaus wurden auch eine Reihe von transnationalen Kampagnen, Manifeste und Petitionen gegen die Sparpolitik der EU eingeleitet, einschließlich europaweiter Solidaritätstreffen wie »Firenze 10+10«, wo sich im November 2012 verschiedene linke Gruppierungen und soziale Bewegungen, sowie einige Gewerkschaftsvertreter aus dem europäischen Raum versammelten. Das Treffen, bewusst geplant zehn Jahre nach dem ersten europäischen Sozialforum (ESF) in 2002 und am gleichen Ort , sollte als Plattform für einen gemeinsam organisierten Widerstand gegen die von der EU vorangetriebene, autoritär verordnete neoliberale Sparpolitik dienen. Entgegen (oder vielleicht gerade aufgrund) des Strebens nach einem gemeinsamen Fokus durch mehrere Konvergenzsitzungen war das Ergebnis des Treffens allerdings eher mager: Eine gemeinsame Stellungnahme zur europäischen Austeritätspolitik wurde durch lautstarken Protest vieler Teilnehmer verhindert. Während das erste ESF in 2002 mit über 60 000 Teilnehmern weitgehend als Erfolg verbucht wurde, blieb für Firenze 10+10 zudem auch die Resonanz in den Medien, und die damit einhergehende breitere Öffentlichkeit, für den Ruf nach einem »anderen Europa« aus. Dies wirft die Frage auf, inwiefern der Kontext der Krise und der EU-Sparpolitik tatsächlich, wie oft argumentiert, ein »window of opportunity« für links-progressive Alternativen und Allianzen bietet. Wie schon im vergangen Jahr stehen die geplanten Protestaktionen 2013 wiederum unter dem Motto eines »Europäischen Frühlings«. Optimistische Betrachtungsweisen gehen davon aus, dass ein politischer Kurswechsel der bisherigen technokratisch-neoliberalen Politik des europäischen Integrationsprojektes greifbar nahe ist. Angesichts der auffallenden Schwäche und ideologischen Fragmentierung europäischer linker Gruppierungen ist jedoch fragwürdig, ob es zu einer tragfähigen, pan-europäisch organisierten Widerstandsbewegung kommen kann
Globalization and EU Competition Policy, Oct 10, 2013
Prior to the outbreak of the current global economic and financial crisis, the sheer number and v... more Prior to the outbreak of the current global economic and financial crisis, the sheer number and volume of mergers and acquisitions set historically unprecedented records. A vast share of these transactions were undertaken by short-term oriented financial market actors, including private equity houses, hedge funds and other institutional investors. The article explains the adoption and ensuing adaptations of the supranational merger control at the level of the European Union (EU) on the basis of a critical political economy perspective. It argues that ever since its inception, EU merger control regulation primarily served to facilitate economic concentration, which was reinforced by a permissive stance of the European Commission. Alongside processes of financialisation and increased corporate reliance on financial market capitalisation, EU merger control underwent a substantive reform and additional adaptations, which in important ways sustained financial sector induced mergers.
Global Discourse. An Interdisciplinary Journal of current Affairs and Applied Contemporary Thought, 3(3-4): 447-9.
This is a reply to:Varga, Joseph J. 2013. “Breaking the heartland: creating the precariat in the ... more This is a reply to:Varga, Joseph J. 2013. “Breaking the heartland: creating the precariat in the US lower rust belt.” Global Discourse. 3 (3–4): 430–446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2013.859877.
Embedded in Business, Politics and Society, 3(1): 36-48, 2013
Economists, politicians, business leaders and opinion makers are convinced that competition enhan... more Economists, politicians, business leaders and opinion makers are convinced that competition enhances efficiency and maximises social welfare. As a result conditions conducive to the maximisation of competition have been created throughout developed capitalist societies. This article explains how competition came to enjoy such an exalted status in Europe and then challenges conventional wisdom by bringing into focus the downsides of competition. It argues that excessive competition and neoliberal competition regulation have contributed to intensify the economic, political, social and
environmental crises currently facing humanity. The implication of the argument is that these crises can only be solved if prevailing notions of competition and its role in society are reconsidered.
Das Argument. Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Sozialwissenschaften, 2013
"In the context of EU crisis management, widespread social mobilisation against austerity measure... more "In the context of EU crisis management, widespread social mobilisation against austerity measures and authoritarian governance has become manifest at local, national and regional levels. Moreover, we are now witnessing the emergence of a collective contestation and mobilisation at the EU level. This article investigates the composition, strategies and potential of this "European spring". Drawing on a critical perspective on the hegemonic ruptures of the European project, recent developments with regard to the mobilisation and programmatic consolidation of social movements, NGOs, trade unions and other civil society organisations are discussed. The article highlights the fragmentation and contradictions of these alliances, and points to the challenges for the formation of a collective actor and hence formulation of an alternative project.
"
Prior to the outbreak of the current global economic and financial crisis, the sheer number and v... more Prior to the outbreak of the current global economic and financial crisis, the sheer number and volume of mergers and acquisitions set historically unprecedented records. A vast share of these transactions were undertaken by short-term oriented financial market actors, including private equity houses, hedge funds and other institutional investors. The article explains the adoption and ensuing adaptations of the supranational merger control at the level of the European Union (EU) on the basis of a critical political economy perspective. It argues that ever since its inception, EU merger control regulation primarily served to facilitate economic concentration, which was reinforced by a permissive stance of the European Commission. Alongside processes of financialisation and increased corporate reliance on financial market capitalisation, EU merger control underwent a substantive reform and additional adaptations, which in important ways sustained financial sector induced mergers.
Uploads
Books by Angela Wigger
Applying a critical political economy perspective, this book analyses the establishment and development of competition regulation at European Community and national level since the 1950s. It puts forth the central argument that competition regulation came to reflect the broader shift towards a neoliberal order since the 1980s. Buch-Hansen and Wigger argue that this shift, which took place against the background of the gradual transnationalisation of capitalist production and the economic crisis of the late 1970s, was driven by the European Commission in alliance with the emerging transnational capitalist class.
The authors examine the political responses to the current global economic crisis in the fields of state aid, cartel prosecution and merger control and conclude that an alternative type of competition regulation, which forms part of a much broader transformation of the current socioeconomic order, is needed. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of (global) political economy, European integration and competition law.
Articles by Angela Wigger
environmental crises currently facing humanity. The implication of the argument is that these crises can only be solved if prevailing notions of competition and its role in society are reconsidered.
"
Applying a critical political economy perspective, this book analyses the establishment and development of competition regulation at European Community and national level since the 1950s. It puts forth the central argument that competition regulation came to reflect the broader shift towards a neoliberal order since the 1980s. Buch-Hansen and Wigger argue that this shift, which took place against the background of the gradual transnationalisation of capitalist production and the economic crisis of the late 1970s, was driven by the European Commission in alliance with the emerging transnational capitalist class.
The authors examine the political responses to the current global economic crisis in the fields of state aid, cartel prosecution and merger control and conclude that an alternative type of competition regulation, which forms part of a much broader transformation of the current socioeconomic order, is needed. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of (global) political economy, European integration and competition law.
environmental crises currently facing humanity. The implication of the argument is that these crises can only be solved if prevailing notions of competition and its role in society are reconsidered.
"