• Offered by Law School
  • ANU College ANU College of Law
  • Classification Advanced
    Specialist
  • Course subject Laws
  • Areas of interest Law
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in Spring Session 2017
    See Future Offerings
This course focuses on the legal framework of economic regulation, or how governments or other actors exercise coercive influence over four principal elements -entry, price, quality and conditions of service, and access obligations or obligations to serve all on reasonable conditions.  These elements are seen not only in establishing regulatory bodies in connection with the privatisation of utilities but increasingly can be seen to characterise the government response in areas where market competition is not considered sufficient to achieve the desired regulatory outcomes.  The control of genetically modified crops or allocation of water, delivery of welfare services, even allocation of domain names or credit ratings may be seen as examples of economic regulation.
This course was developed to introduce those involved or interested in economic regulation to the constitutional and administrative law checks and balances on the exercise of regulatory power, the private law alternatives to regulatory intervention, and the likely effects of regulatory intervention given the underlying legal framework.  Through a focus on the utility regulation the course provides an understanding of the crucial role played by the underlying legal framework in establishing the forms of regulation found in the Australian economy and how the economic justifications for such regulation in turn has helped to shape that legal framework. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

By the conclusion of this course, it is intended that students who have successfully completed all the course requirements will be able to:
  1. Develop and demonstrate a sound understanding of basic economic methodology as applied in the law and regulation of economics;
  2. Identify, critically analyse and explain the meaning of concepts such as efficiency, justice, rights, legal rules and institutions and the relationships between them;
  3. Identify and critically evaluate the economic consequences and role of law and legal institutions in that context;
  4. Analyse and critically evaluate specific legal policy issues from a law and economics perspective; and
  5. Plan, design and individually execute a research based project that identifies and critically examines aspects of economic regulation and the legal framework that underlines it.

Other Information

This is an intensive course with a 4 day compulsory intensive (see LLM timetable for dates).

Approximately 6 weeks from the completion of the intensive your final assessment will be due. Contact with fellow students and the convenor, both prior to the intensive and after, is conducted via the Wattle course site.

Indicative Assessment

Assessment for this course will likely consist of:
  1. Class Participation (10%)
  2. Research Essay (90%, 7000 words)
Students must rely on the approved Course Study Guide which will be posted to the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

26 hours of face to face teaching (4 day intensive). The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
 
Click here for the LLM Masters Program timetable

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must be studying a: Master of Laws (7300XLLM, MLLM), Master of Laws specialising in International Law (7300XSINTL), Master of Laws specialising in Law, Governance and Development (7300SLGD), Master of Laws specialising in Environmental Law (7300SENVL), Master of Laws specialising in Government and Commercial Law (7300SGCL), Master of Laws specialising in International Security Law (7300SISL), Master of Laws in Migration (NLLML), Master of Laws in International Law (NLLIL), Master of Laws in Environmental Law (NLLEN), Master of Laws in Law, Governance & Development (NLLGD), Master of Laws in International Security Law (NLLSL), Master of Laws in Government and Regulation (NLLGR), Master of Laws (Legal Practice) (7312XLLMLP), Master of Diplomacy/Master of Laws (7883SINTL, 7883XLLM), Master of Legal Practice (MLEGP). OR Must be studying a: Master of Diplomacy/Master of International Law (7893MDIPL, 7893XMINTL), Master of International Law (7310XMINTL), Master of Environmental Law (7309XMENVL), Master of Law, Governance & Development (7317XMLGD), Master of International Security Law (7318XMISL), Master of Government and Commercial Law (7313XMGCL), Master of Legal Studies (7305XMLEGS), and completed LAWS8015 Fundamentals of Government and Commercial Law or LAWS8587 Legal Framework of Regulation. OR Must be studying a Juris Doctor (7330XJD, 7330HJD or MJD) and have completed or be completing five LAWS1000 level courses or five LAWS6100 level courses. OR Must be studying a Graduate Certificate of Law (CLAW) and have completed or are completing LAWS8586 Law and Legal Institutions and LAWS8587 Legal Framework of Regulation. OR Must be studying a Master of Military Law (MMILL) OR Must be studying a Juris Doctor (MJDOL) and have completed the course LAWS8712 Australian Public Law & International Law B

Prescribed Texts

The prescribed text for this course is:
  • Robert D. COOTER and Thomas ULEN (2012), Law and Economics, Addison Wesley Longman, 6th edition

Preliminary Reading

It is highly recommended students have access to:
  • Posner, Richard A. Economic Analysis of Law, 8th edition, 2010, Aspen Law & Business; especially Parts III, IV, VI and VII
  • Mueller, Dennis C. Public Choice III, 3rd ed. 2003, Cambridge University Press especially chapters 1-3 and 16
  • Kahn, A. E. (1988) The Economics of Regulation: Principles and Institutions, MIT Press Chapter 1

Students must rely on the approved Course Study Guide which will be posted to the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

Assumed Knowledge

Students without an Australian law degree must have completed LAWS8587 Law & Economics of Regulation

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
3
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2017 $3420
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2017 $4878
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Spring Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9717 13 Oct 2017 13 Oct 2017 27 Oct 2017 28 Nov 2017 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions