Economic Law (2016/2017)

Learning outcomes

Why and how economic activities, namely the production and exchange of goods, are regulated? What is the relationship between law and economics ? How does the functioning of the economy depend on the law, and how does this affect the functioning of the legal system? What are the rules and legal institutions necessary for the development of market economy, and what are the rules and institutions that instead prevent it? These are some of the basic issues addressed by the course. The aim is to provide students with not only the basics of the discipline , but also to help them develop their critical spirit against one of the most important components of human society, namely the legal organization of economic systems.

Part A
General Topics

1) The functions of the law in the economy: allowing, promoting, correcting and going beyond the market.
2) Multi-level regulation of the economy (international, EU and national law)
3) The law and the globalisation of the economy


Part B
Specific Topics
1) Economic systems: definition and typologies
2) The function of law and of public powers with regards to market economies.
3) The failures of public intervention in the economy
4) Economic functions of independent Authorities

5) The EU internal market and the fundamental freedoms: negative and positive integration

-Case-study: the legal and political implications of the implementation of the 2006 Service Directive (‘Bolkenstein’).

6) The protection of competition: anticompetitive firms’ actions and public measures (eg. restrictive agreements, unfair competition, State aid).

- Case-study: 1) Roche/Novartis: restrictive agreement; 2) Uber/taxi case. 3) State aid to banks.

60% of the grade will be based on the results of the final exam, while 40% from class partecipation

STUDENT MODULE EVALUATION - 2016/2017