This paper has been composed within the framework of the ‘Shifts in Governance’ project, financed by the Netherlands Association for Scientific Research (NWO). It reviews past empirical research on personal injury compensation systems, most of which has been conducted in the United States....

This paper has been composed within the framework of the ‘Shifts in Governance’ project, financed by the Netherlands Association for Scientific Research (NWO). It contains an impression of first empirical data that was collected on industrial accidents and occupational diseases in four...

This paper addresses the economic theories of regulation with respect to professional services (such as those provided by lawyers and accountants). One of the problems discussed in this paper is the tension between competition (law) and regulation. The central question is what China can learn...

The regulation of pharmacists in Belgium and the Netherlands is analysed in order to test the rent-seeking hypothesis put forward in the private interest literature. Both the self-regulation issued by the professional bodies and public regulations are examined. It appears that many regulations...

Existing empirical evidence shows that Chinese companies sometimes face difficulties when they try to establish themselves across provinces in China. A significant cause of this problem is the way in which local authorities apply the existing rules on inter-provincial establishment of companies....

After a long preparatory process, a Directive harmonizing certain national rules on private enforcement of competition law has been adopted by the European Parliament. In this contribution it is investigated whether harmonization of these rules was desirable and whether the main objectives of...

This chapter discusses the rationale for State aid control as part of competition law. Like in other areas of EU competition law, such as abuse of dominance and merger control, there is a clear shift towards a ‘more economic approach' and a stronger focus on efficiency. However, this stronger...

The regulation of professional services has been high on the political agenda for years now in Europe. This paper points out the methods of working and the strategies used by the European Commission (Directorate General for Competition) and various national competition authorities to promote...