What Shapes the Law? Reflections on the History, Law, Politics and Economics of International and European Subsidy Disciplines

Abstract

This book puts together several contributions that, from various time, system and disciplinary perspectives, address the same questions – what has shaped subsidy laws? Which actors mould subsidy and State aid law and what forces are at work? The book includes reports from former or current negotiators, officials, practitioners and scholars, that focus on various attempts to regulate subsidies at the national, European and international levels. Prominence is given to the actual practice, and to the account given by the key actors, operating in the field since the 1970s. Various disciplines are interrogated – from history to law, from political science to economics. What comes out is a fascinating account that provides a goldmine of insights and leads for further enquiry in a topical and under-researched area.

Keywords: Subsidy; state aid; history; history of law; international trade; competition; political economy; EU; WTO