Warlouzet Laurent

 

Biographical Note

 

My research focuses on European Integration History from an economic point of view. The aim is to identify 1) the debates among several models of European Economic Integration since the 1950s and 2) the nation/transnational networks which support them. It merges the history of Economic Ideas, of Public Policies and of the European decision-making process, especially from a historical institutionalist approach.

My Ph.D (2007, Paris IV-Sorbonne) deals with the economic debates during the early years of the European Economic Community from 1955 to 1969. It is focused on French officials working in Paris (French government and civil service) and in Brussels (European Commission).

It also takes into account the various transnational networks created in order to support different projects of European Economic Integration. The main debates occurred between Franco-Italian networks which supported interventionist economic policies (strong coordination of economic policies, Industrial and Regional Policies) and German dominated networks which pushed for neoliberal policies (Competition Policy).

Lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Arras (France), I have co-organized a conference on the History of Competition Policy (published in 2008 in a special issue of the journal “Histoire, économie et société”) and the first RICHIE conference of young researchers in European Integration History (published in 2007 with Katrin Rücker, Peter Lang). My Ph.D will be published in 2010 (Paris, CHEFF).

 

At the Centre of  EU Influence: The Strengthening of Competition Policy, 1973-1999

At the EUI-RSCAS, I will work on the gradual strengthening of the European Competition Policy in the 1970s and the 1980s from an historical point of view, taking into account the law and economic issues at stake. Three issues will be addressed.

The first deals with the debates on the purpose of Competition Policy among neoliberals (ordoliberals vs. Chicago School), and between them and the opponents of a strong Competition policy.

A second element will be the scope of Competition policy and its institutional enforcement. The Commission gained progressively competences in a larger number of areas (antitrust, mergers, state aids, sectoral deregulations, etc.) but it was not always able to implement them successfully.

Lastly, in terms of actors, the main question to address is to understand who supported the dramatic reinforcement of the European Competition Policy. Transnational networks must be mapped and their influence on the decision-making process must be gauged.

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