Toward a Nature of Competition Regulation

Abstract

The article examines the nature of competition regulation. Using the reproduction approach, the author reveals the internal nature of reasons for regulating competition, which is caused by inconsistencies in relationships within competition itself. Regulation of competition is the inevitable result of its developmental process: the transition from free to regulated competition results from the resolution of contradictions inherent in competition. Strengthening the regulatory components of competition is an evolutionary pattern, caused by the growth of integration processes in the economy, and by the intensification of the destructive effects of competition. Specific attention is paid to the evolution of the regulatory component of competition and forms of its manifestation. The author shows that the content of a competitive attitude is transformed in towards changing the principle of competitive rivalry, as expressed in the transition from an uncompromising struggle to its competitive forms that do not imply a vital outcome of the struggle. As a result, regulating competition becomes increasingly susceptible to internal factors. Therefore, in parallel with strengthening external measures of influence, there is an increasing trend towards self-regulation. The author interprets this as the basis for the transition to a new form of competition in the future — competitive competition, which is a form of rivalry based on voluntary restriction of egoistic claims and establishing partnerships between rivals for the sake of enhancing joint competitiveness.