Book Review

Book Review: Populism and Antitrust: The Illiberal Influence of Populist Government on the Competition Law System By Maciej Bernatt (CUP: 2022)

This is a rich, well-structured and engaging monograph by an author who passionately yet systematically addresses the interrelationship between populism and competition law in the broader political and economic context. With this book, the author provides an informed take on the ‘back-sliding’ experience in two European ‘illiberal democracies’. The discussion of the most pertinent challenges as well as the proposed solutions are most illuminating not only for readers interested in East Europe but beyond. This book is a perfect companion in the universal quest for discovering the important role of competition law in the development of democratic societies founded on the rule of law and the challenges that may encounter along the way. Beyond informing the reader of the alarming back-and-forth quality of the competition system evolution, the author sets readers on the straight path of searching for solutions that ensure stability and resilience.

Review IV: Energy Poverty and Access Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Regionalism

This work assumes a benchmark position naturally when it comes to insightful discussion on energy access challenges in SSA. The readers will not only enjoy the reading but also aggregate value to their vision on the pivotal role of the regionalism as a tool through which SSA countries may gradually invert the status quo of energy access challenges.

Review II: Energy Poverty and Access Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Regionalism

Access to energy is an important part of the everyday survival of modern humankind. However, not all energy forms are healthy for humans and the environment. Given that different countries have various degrees of endowment in energy resources and varied energy needs, cooperation is important for addressing the individual challenges of nations. An interesting contribution of the book is the in-depth review of the renewable energy potential in SSA while highlighting the basic requirements for tapping the full potential of these sources

Review I: Energy Poverty and Access Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Regionalism

Nalule’s book is a comprehensive critical analysis of the energy access and energy poverty issues that plague Sub-Saharan Africa (“SSA”). She conducts this discourse within the energy transition discussion and presents it through the lens of the sustainable development theory.

Book Symposium: Multi-sided Music Platforms and the Law: Reasons why the work is a ground-breaking work of scholarship from the African continent

The structural style of the book is designed to aid easy reference, especially by legal practitioners, judges, lawmakers and policy formulators; to make the book a valuable resource for researchers, academics and students; and an easily comprehensible material for the uninitiated in the field of copyright, privacy and competition law and the operation of multi-sided music platforms. Reading the book from cover to cover, a reader will undoubtedly confirm that the book has achieved this goal.

Book Symposium – Multi-sided Music Platforms and the Law: Cultural anthropology perspectives

Recent years have seen a remarkable upturn in scholarship on copyright in Africa in general and its intersection with competition law and policy frameworks in particular. Multi-Sided Music Platforms and the Law takes the discussion further through a detailed examination of global platforms such as YouTube, SoundCloud and Facebook and the profound impact these firms have on the creative sectors and the economy more broadly of developing countries.

Book Symposium Introduction: Multi-sided Music Platforms and the Law: Copyright, Law and Policy in Africa

According to Professor Caroline Ncube in the foreword, this book is an important and timely contribution to the discussion of music platforms and is the first work that considers multi-sided platforms from the perspectives of copyright, competition and privacy under South African and Nigerian laws.

Acknowledgement from Prof. Eleanor Fox and Dr. Mor Bakhoum to the Contributors of our "Making Markets Work for Africa" (OUP, 2019) Symposium

We are keenly following the unfolding developments in Nigeria and in the sub-Saharan countries that are on the cusp of adopting competition laws, and of course the developments in the AfCFTA as well as ECOWAS/WAEMU and other regionals. We hope to engage with these developments, and hope that our book can provide some insights and a perspective; a building block for moving forward towards a Voice for Africa.

Review of Making Markets Work for Africa (Fox & Bakhoum, OUP 2019)

The book provides helpful examples of the challenges faced in terms of the financial and human capital needs for effective competition law enforcement as well as challenges of corruption and political pressure. Having set out these challenges, the authors document how some countries have very admirably dealt with them, showing how some competition authorities have risen to find effective solutions, making competition law worth much more than the paper it is written on.