Contractors and Competition Law

The second case study examines the way in which contractors in the Dutch construction industry move away from competition law and EU antitrust regulations. Most data from this case are drawn from public hearings with contractors in a parliamentary enquiry which showed a widespread use of cartels, aimed at price-fixing and market-allocation. The chapter shows that members of the Dutch construction industry feel disconnected from competition law, which leads to a process of legal alienation. Most contractors are ‘cynics’ (with some signs of ‘legal meaninglessness’ and ‘legal powerlessness’, but with a strong sense of ‘legal cynicism’), while some qualify as ‘outsiders’ (with strong feelings of ‘legal value isolation’).