Adaptation, Recombination, and Reinforcement: The Story of Antitrust and Competition Law in Germany and Europe

Abstract

Abstract We consider, in this chapter, national business system change in relation to transnational institution building. Our field of exploration is antitrust regulation and competition law, its emergence and development both in Germany and at the European level. It is increasingly acknowledged that legal frameworks structure market economies and constrain economic behavior (Laporta et al. 1998; De Soto2000; Fligstein 2001; Bergl6f, Rosenthal, and von Thadden 2001). We see the legaltreatment of competition issues as important in that respect (Dobbin and Dowd 2000; Djelic 2002).