Privatising networked services / Breaking the Monopoly

Testo disponibile solo in lingua inglese.
This essay explains the differences between the introduction of competition to protected but non-monopoly sectors – liberalisation – from the same operation in monopoly sectors – deregulation. The author shows that, although the objective is the same in both cases – i.e., to introduce as much competition as possible – the policies that need to be implemented are different; or, to be more precise, the order in which they have to be applied varies. He goes on to highlight the different ways in which competition is introduced in the two types of sectors: in protected ones, it is necessary first to liberalise the sector and then introduce antitrust measures; in monopolies, on the other hand, it is necessary first to restructure – that is, create a plurality of enterprises to ensure the consumer freedom of choice – and then liberalise.