Constructing a competitive order : the hidden history of British antitrust policies

This book was first published in 1995. Businessmen have always had a strong inclination to avoid competition and regulate the market. Helen Mercer traces the evolution of British competition legislation designed to discourage such practices, from 1900 to 1964. Economic and legal textbooks attribute the dynamic behind the development of this legislation to an undefined 'public opinion' or to economists. Helen Mercer disagrees. She contends that competition policies have been shaped by the strategies of powerful business interests - at home and in the United States. Trade unions and organisations of labour have provided a consistent pressure on governments to legislate on private monopoly, in the face of sweeping criticisms of free enterprise. This book makes extensive use of archival sources to give a detailed analysis of government-industry relations. In the course of this it sheds new light on Britain's changing industrial structure, and offers pointers to the likely outcome of business regulation in Britain in the future. -- Provided by publisher Frontmatter 1 Contents 7 List of tables 8 Acknowledgements 9 Notes on conventions and abbreviations 11 1 - Introduction 13 2 - The British cartel system, 1880–1964 20 3 - The state and the ‘monopoly problem’, 1880–1939 48 4 - The war and the White Paper, 1940–44 66 5 - The origins of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Act, 1948 95 6 - Interpretation of policy – the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission, 1949–56 116 7 - The origins of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1956 – a re-interpretation 137 8 - Resale price maintenance 161 9 - Conclusions 182 1 - British participation in international cartels in manufactured goods, 1930s and 1950s 190 2 - Correlation of RPM with levels of concentration of employment, 1938 198 3 - The systematisation of British trade associations, 1875–1953 199 4 - Analysis of the signatories of the ‘National Policy for Industry’, 1942 204 5 - Criteria for the selection of references to the MRPC, 1949–56 207 Notes 209 Bibliography 258 Index 278 Business people have always had a strong inclination to avoid competition and regulate the market. In Constructing a Competitive Order, Helen Mercer presents a new interpretation of the evolution of British competition legislation from 1900 to 1964. She uses archival sources to give a detailed analysis of government-industry relations and shows how competition policies have been shaped by the strategies of powerful business interests. Throughout the book, she offers pointers to the likely outcome of business regulation in Britain in the future Introduction -- The British cartel system, 1880-1964 -- The state and the 'monopoly problem', 1880-1939 -- The war and the White Paper, 1940-44 -- The origins of the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Act, 1948 -- Interpretation of policy: the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission, 1949-56 -- The origins of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1956: a re-interpretation -- Resale price maintenance -- Conclusions -- Appendixes 1. Introduction -- 2. The British Cartel System, 1880-1964 -- 3. The State And The 'monopoly Problem', 1880-1939 -- 4. The War And The White Paper, 1940-44 -- 5. The Origins Of The Monopolies And Restrictive Practices Act, 1948 -- 6. Interpretation Of Policy -- The Monopolies And Restrictive Practices Commission, 1949-56 -- 7. The Origins Of The Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1956 -- A Re-interpretation -- 8. Resale Price Maintenance -- 9. Conclusions -- App. 1 British Participation In International Cartels In Manufactured Goods, 1930s And 1950s -- App. 2 Correlation Of Rpm With Levels Of Concentration Of Employment, 1938 -- App. 3 The Systematisation Of British Trade Associations, 1875-1953 -- App. 4 Analysis Of The Signatories Of The 'national Policy For Industry', 1942 -- App. 5 Criteria For The Selection Of References To The Mrpc, 1949-56. Helen Mercer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-266) And Index. Businessmen have always had a strong inclination to avoid competition and regulate the market. In this book, Helen Mercer presents a new interpretation of the evolution of British competition legislation from 1900 to 1964, which was designed to discourage such practices. She uses archival sources to give a detailed analysis of government-industry relations and goes on to show how competition policies have been shaped by the strategies of powerful business interests. In the course of this, she offers pointers to the likely outcome of business regulation in Britain in the future.