ABSTRACT
Competition law enforcement involves the interdisciplinary application of law and economics. This is well illustrated by the fact that competition law prohibits conduct that distorts competition taking place within the confi nes of a market. Conduct prohibited by competition law includes collusive activities and abuses of a dominant position. Without an appreciation of economic concepts such as ‘market defi nition’, ‘market structure’ and ‘barriers to entry’, inter alia , it would be diffi cult to recognise conduct prohibited by competition law and even more so to litigate any competition case successfully. Additionally, the relevance of economic theory to the enforcement of competition law is highlighted by the fact that such law is used to achieve economic objectives. This forces policymakers to defi ne these objectives clearly and to assess the normative consequences likely to fl ow from their choice (see Chapter 3 ).
