IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v48y2010i1p111-132.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Myths and Myth‐Making in the European Union: The Institutionalization and Interpretation of EU Competition Policy

Author

Listed:
  • PINAR AKMAN
  • HUSSEIN KASSIM

Abstract

EU competition policy has become so strongly institutionalized that it is easy to overlook its precarious status in earlier decades. This article argues, first, that the Commission responded to the imperative arising from the extraordinary powers created by the treaty and the novelty of competition policy in post‐war Europe by developing a series of myths to provide justification for its prerogatives. Second, these myths have played a key role in securing acceptance of EU policy, though other factors have also been important. Third, the official mythology has been supplemented by an interpretation which has become dominant in the law and political science literatures; namely, that EU competition policy has ordoliberal origins. This article challenges this view.

Suggested Citation

  • Pinar Akman & Hussein Kassim, 2010. "Myths and Myth‐Making in the European Union: The Institutionalization and Interpretation of EU Competition Policy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 111-132, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i:1:p:111-132
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2009.02044.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2009.02044.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2009.02044.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Drake, William J. & Nicolaïdis, Kalypso, 1992. "Ideas, interests, and institutionalization: “trade in services” and the Uruguay Round," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(1), pages 37-100, January.
    2. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:1-19 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Vincent Della Sala, 2010. "Political Myth, Mythology and the European Union," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 1-19, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nedergaard, Peter, 2013. "The Influence of Ordoliberalism in European Integration Processes - A Framework for Ideational Influence with Competition Policy and the Economic and Monetary Policy as Examples," MPRA Paper 52331, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Patrice Bougette & Oliver Budzinski & Frédéric Marty, 2024. "Ex-ante versus Ex-post in Competition Law Enforcement: Blurred Boundaries and Economic Rationale," Working Papers halshs-04604840, HAL.
    3. Ramon Boixadera Bosch & Ferran Portella Carbó, 2019. "Beyond the euro: Limits to economic policy in the EU," Revista de Economía Crítica, Asociación de Economía Crítica, vol. 27, pages 47-58.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:111-132 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Christoffer Kølvraa, 2016. "European Fantasies: On the EU's Political Myths and the Affective Potential of Utopian Imaginaries for European Identity," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 169-184, January.
    3. Julián Tole Martínez, 2019. "Colombia entre los TLC y la OMC: ¿liberación o administración del comercio internacional?," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1139, htpr_v3_i.
    4. Sandra Lavenex & Flavia Jurje, 2021. "Opening‐up labor mobility? Rising powers' rulemaking in trade agreements," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(3), pages 598-615, July.
    5. Eunji Oh & M. Minsuk Shin, 2020. "Study Abroad in Support of Higher Education Sustainability: An Application of Service Trade Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-23, March.
    6. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/8601 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Odelia Oshri & Tamir Sheafer & Shaul R Shenhav, 2016. "A community of values: Democratic identity formation in the European Union," European Union Politics, , vol. 17(1), pages 114-137, March.
    8. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m3igpqi is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mai'a K. Davis Cross, 2015. "The Limits of Epistemic Communities: EU Security Agencies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(1), pages 90-100.
    10. Susan Newberry, 2004. "Trade in Services: Wider Implications for Accounting Standard-Setters and Accountants," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 14(33), pages 11-21, July.
    11. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m3igpqi is not listed on IDEAS
    12. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/8601 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Hoekman, Bernard, 1993. "Developing Countries and the Uruguay Round Negotiations on Services," CEPR Discussion Papers 822, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Julián Tole Martínez, 2019. "Colombia entre los TLC y la OMC: ¿liberación o administración del comercio internacional?," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1130, htpr_v3_i.
    15. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m34ikh5 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Cornelia Woll, 2009. "Who Captures Whom? Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-00972851, HAL.
    17. Peter Carroll & Aynsley Kellow, 2011. "The OECD," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 4266.
    18. Cornelia Woll, 2006. "Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union: Who Captures Whom?," Working Papers hal-00972822, HAL.
    19. Jarman, Holly & Greer, Scott, 2010. "Crossborder trade in health services: Lessons from the European laboratory," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 158-163, February.
    20. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:133-154 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m3igpqi is not listed on IDEAS
    22. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/8601 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Natalia Chaban & Alister Miskimmon & Ben O'Loughlin, 2017. "The EU's Peace and Security Narrative: Views from EU Strategic Partners in Asia," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(6), pages 1273-1289, November.
    24. Roy, Martin, 2010. "Endowments, power, and democracy: Political economy of multilateral commitments on trade in services," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2010-11, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    25. Laurie Beaudonnet & Céline Belot & Hélène Caune & Anne‐Marie Houde & Damien Pennetreau, 2023. "Narrating Europe: (Re‐)constructed and Contested Visions of the European Project in Citizens' Discourse," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 161-178, January.
    26. Cornelia Woll, 2009. "Who Captures Whom? Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union," Post-Print hal-00972851, HAL.
    27. Cornelia Woll, 2010. "Firm Interests in Uncertain Times: Business Lobbying in Multilateral Service Liberalization," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-00972803, HAL.
    28. Andrea Lenschow & Carina Sprungk, 2010. "The Myth of a Green Europe," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 133-154, January.
    29. Farid, May & Noguchi, Lori, 2022. "Knowledge communities and policy influence in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i:1:p:111-132. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.