LAWS90065 Competition Law and Economics
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · July 2026LAWS90065 Overview
- Melbourne Law School
- July intensive, 2026
- Postgraduate coursework
- Melbourne Law Masters subject
LAWS90065 Competition Law and Economics connects competition-law questions to demand, market definition, costs, strategic conduct and economic evidence. It is taught within Melbourne Law School. It is Postgraduate coursework.
- LAWS90065 grading The published task split assigns 20% to online participation, 30% to the mid-term exercise and 50% to the final exercise.
- LAWS90065 source conflict The two current study maps disagree on the mid-term word count; the live task brief controls.
- LAWS90065 analysis route Define the market and counterfactual before treating price, concentration or conduct as evidence.
- LAWS90065 rule check Confirm any component-level pass requirement in the live LMS before relying on the aggregate mark.
How LAWS90065 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Online participation | 20% | Discussion-board and live-tutorial participation throughout |
| Mid-term exercise | 30% | Current LMS sources conflict on the word count; use the live task brief |
| Final exercise | 50% | A written final exercise under the live task instructions |
The Canvas study map controls the task weights and current operation. Its mid-term word count conflicts with the downloaded current study-map document, so the live task brief must resolve that field.
What LAWS90065 covers
The learning path moves from Demand, Supply and Elasticity, through the problems opened by Market Power and Entry Barriers, to the synthesis required in Critical Loss and Behavioural Evidence.
Demand, Supply and Elasticity
Demand · Supply · Price Elasticity · trace how a price change affects quantity, substitution and the competition questionDefine Demand
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module explains downward-sloping demand, non-price shifts and why price responses matter for competition analysis.
- Demand
- Supply
- Price Elasticity
- Applying Demand
- Limits of Supply and Price Elasticity
Market Definition and the SSNIP Test
Relevant Market · Hypothetical Monopolist · SSNIP · apply substitution evidence to expand or retain a candidate marketDefine Relevant Market
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module distinguishes core and marginal consumers and explains the hypothetical-monopolist test, SSNIP and cellophane fallacy.
- Relevant Market
- Hypothetical Monopolist
- SSNIP
- Applying Relevant Market
- Limits of Hypothetical Monopolist and SSNIP
Economic Costs and Opportunity Cost
Economic Cost · Opportunity Cost · Normal Profit · distinguish accounting expenditure from the economic cost relevant to entry, exit and profitDefine Economic Cost
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module grounds cost in the next best alternative and uses normal profit to explain whether resources remain in an activity.
- Economic Cost
- Opportunity Cost
- Normal Profit
- Applying Economic Cost
- Limits of Opportunity Cost and Normal Profit
Profit Maximisation and Competitive Benchmarks
Marginal Revenue · Marginal Cost · Profit-Maximising Output · identify the output decision implied by marginal revenue and marginal costDefine Marginal Revenue
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module states that a firm maximises profit by equating marginal cost and marginal revenue and separates short-run from long-run cost relevance.
- Marginal Revenue
- Marginal Cost
- Profit-Maximising Output
- Applying Marginal Revenue
- Limits of Marginal Cost and Profit-Maximising Output
Market Power and Entry Barriers
Market Power · Structural Barrier to Entry · Strategic Barrier to Entry · separate existing market position from the constraints imposed by entry and expansionDefine Market Power
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module distinguishes substantial market power, structural barriers, strategic conduct and barriers to expansion.
- Market Power
- Structural Barrier to Entry
- Strategic Barrier to Entry
- Applying Market Power
- Limits of Structural Barrier to Entry and Strategic Barrier to Entry
Oligopoly and Strategic Pricing
Oligopoly · Cournot Competition · Bertrand Competition · compare quantity and price competition without treating coordinated prices as proof of collusionDefine Oligopoly
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module contrasts Cournot and Bertrand competition and explains why market structure or correlated prices do not identify collusion alone.
- Oligopoly
- Cournot Competition
- Bertrand Competition
- Applying Oligopoly
- Limits of Cournot Competition and Bertrand Competition
Vertical Arrangements and Competitive Effects
Vertical Agreement · Double Marginalisation · Exclusive Dealing · balance coordination efficiencies against foreclosure and entry effectsDefine Vertical Agreement
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module explains price and non-price restraints, double marginalisation, selling effort and the possibility of both efficiency and foreclosure.
- Vertical Agreement
- Double Marginalisation
- Exclusive Dealing
- Applying Vertical Agreement
- Limits of Double Marginalisation and Exclusive Dealing
Critical Loss and Behavioural Evidence
Critical Loss · Actual Loss · Behavioural Economics · combine critical-loss calculation with evidence about likely switching and decision behaviourDefine Critical Loss
The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The module compares critical and actual loss, discusses data limitations and adds behavioural evidence to conventional competition analysis.
- Critical Loss
- Actual Loss
- Behavioural Economics
- Applying Critical Loss
- Limits of Actual Loss and Behavioural Economics
It is positioned as Melbourne Law Masters subject.
The intensive subject moves between legal purpose and economic modelling, requiring the model assumptions and the theory of competitive harm to remain visible in the same answer.
Assessment in LAWS90065 is distributed as follows: Online participation 20%; mid-term exercise 30%; final exercise 50%.
Two current LMS captures conflict on the mid-term word count, so that word count is not stated here.
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
Use the live LMS for the current final-exercise instructions and for any additional examination or operating condition; this guide does not infer an absence from the published task list.
What makes LAWS90065 demanding is concrete: Students must make economic models legally relevant by defining the candidate market, tracing substitution or strategic conduct, and keeping a competitive counterfactual separate from a label such as concentration.
Hurdle status is unknown from the verified course material and must be confirmed in the live LMS.
For enrolment planning, Confirm current prerequisite and enrolment rules in the University of Melbourne Handbook or live enrolment system.
The learning path moves from Demand, Supply and Elasticity, through the problems opened by Market Power and Entry Barriers, to the synthesis required in Critical Loss and Behavioural Evidence.
Worked example · free
Integrated practice: resolve the changed evidence
- 3Fix the case-specific meaning and evidential scale of Vertical Agreement.
- 3Show the operation or inferential link carried by Double Marginalisation.
- 3Use Exclusive Dealing to test the strongest plausible alternative.
- 2Report the answer within this limit: The form of a restraint does not decide its competitive effect; interbrand constraints, market power and entry conditions remain necessary.
Key terms
- Demand
- The quantity buyers are willing to purchase at alternative prices while the stated non-price conditions are held constant.
- Supply
- The quantity sellers are willing to offer at alternative prices under the stated production and market conditions.
- Price Elasticity
- The responsiveness of quantity demanded or supplied to a proportional change in price.
- Relevant Market
- The product, geographic and functional field within which substitution supplies the competitive constraints relevant to the inquiry.
- Hypothetical Monopolist
- The analytic construct that controls the candidate product set and asks whether a price increase would be profitable.
- SSNIP
- A small but significant non-transitory increase in price used to test whether substitution makes a candidate market too narrow.
- Economic Cost
- The value of resources measured by the alternatives forgone when they are committed to the activity.
- Opportunity Cost
- The value of the best feasible alternative use sacrificed by the chosen action.
- Normal Profit
- The return required to keep resources in their current use rather than move them to the best alternative.
- Marginal Revenue
- The change in total revenue associated with selling one additional unit of output.
- Marginal Cost
- The change in total economic cost associated with producing one additional unit of output.
LAWS90065 FAQ
Where is the hardest reasoning in Competition Law and Economics?
Students must make economic models legally relevant by defining the candidate market, tracing substitution or strategic conduct, and keeping a competitive counterfactual separate from a label such as concentration.
How does assessment work in Competition Law and Economics?
Online participation 20%; mid-term exercise 30%; final exercise 50%. Two current LMS captures conflict on the mid-term word count, so that word count is not stated here. Use the live LMS for the current final-exercise instructions and for any additional examination or operating condition; this guide does not infer an absence from the published task list.
What form does the final assessed task take in Competition Law and Economics?
Use the live LMS for the current final-exercise instructions and for any additional examination or operating condition; this guide does not infer an absence from the published task list.
Which pass conditions apply in Competition Law and Economics?
Hurdle status is unknown from the verified course material and must be confirmed in the live LMS. Online participation 20%; mid-term exercise 30%; final exercise 50%. Two current LMS captures conflict on the mid-term word count, so that word count is not stated here.
Which teaching period does this Competition Law and Economics resource cover?
It is aligned to July intensive, 2026; confirm your enrolled class and timetable in the current institutional system. LAWS90065 Competition Law and Economics connects competition-law questions to demand, market definition, costs, strategic conduct and economic evidence.
Who controls the official rules for Competition Law and Economics?
The university does. This is an independent LAWS90065 study resource; current institutional instructions remain authoritative for assessment operation. LAWS90065 Competition Law and Economics connects competition-law questions to demand, market definition, costs, strategic conduct and economic evidence.
Why is the mid-term word count omitted?
Two first-party current study-map captures publish different word counts for the same mid-term exercise. The live LMS task brief must resolve the conflict before a student relies on either value.
Questions students ask in each LAWS90065 chapter
- Where does the chain begin when students trace how a price change affects quantity, substitution and the competition question?
- Trace how a price change affects quantity, substitution and the competition question. The module explains downward-sloping demand, non-price shifts and why price responses matter for competition analysis. Chapter 01 · Demand, Supply and Elasticity
- When is it appropriate to apply substitution evidence to expand or retain a candidate market?
- Apply substitution evidence to expand or retain a candidate market. The module distinguishes core and marginal consumers and explains the hypothetical-monopolist test, SSNIP and cellophane fallacy. Chapter 02 · Market Definition and the SSNIP Test
- Why is it important to distinguish accounting expenditure from the economic cost relevant to entry, exit and profit?
- Distinguish accounting expenditure from the economic cost relevant to entry, exit and profit. The module grounds cost in the next best alternative and uses normal profit to explain whether resources remain in an activity. Chapter 03 · Economic Costs and Opportunity Cost
- Which evidence helps students identify the output decision implied by marginal revenue and marginal cost?
- Identify the output decision implied by marginal revenue and marginal cost. The module states that a firm maximises profit by equating marginal cost and marginal revenue and separates short-run from long-run cost relevance. Chapter 04 · Profit Maximisation and Competitive Benchmarks
- Why is it important to separate existing market position from the constraints imposed by entry and expansion?
- Separate existing market position from the constraints imposed by entry and expansion. The module distinguishes substantial market power, structural barriers, strategic conduct and barriers to expansion. Chapter 05 · Market Power and Entry Barriers
- Which common basis lets a student compare quantity and price competition without treating coordinated prices as proof of collusion?
- Compare quantity and price competition without treating coordinated prices as proof of collusion. The module contrasts Cournot and Bertrand competition and explains why market structure or correlated prices do not identify collusion alone. Chapter 06 · Oligopoly and Strategic Pricing
- Which common basis lets a student balance coordination efficiencies against foreclosure and entry effects?
- Balance coordination efficiencies against foreclosure and entry effects. The module explains price and non-price restraints, double marginalisation, selling effort and the possibility of both efficiency and foreclosure. Chapter 07 · Vertical Arrangements and Competitive Effects
- What must be brought together to combine critical-loss calculation with evidence about likely switching and decision behaviour?
- Combine critical-loss calculation with evidence about likely switching and decision behaviour. The module compares critical and actual loss, discusses data limitations and adds behavioural evidence to conventional competition analysis. Chapter 08 · Critical Loss and Behavioural Evidence
How to prepare for the assessments
Reconstruct the legal-economic question, draw or calculate the model, test it against an alternative account, and return to the live task instructions before submission.
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