Antitrust Enforcement in Global Digital Markets—Challenges and Strategies Shaped by Evolving Legislative Frameworks
A special issue of Laws (ISSN 2075-471X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 46
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Digital platforms have emerged as pivotal actors in contemporary markets, often exercising de facto “gatekeeper” power over consumers, online vendors, and competitors alike. This concentration of market power engenders multi‑faceted anti-competitive harms. In response, jurisdictions worldwide have enacted landmark reforms, yet critical questions persist: Do these regulatory architectures furnish sufficiently tools to detect, deter, and remedy the complex stratagems of online gatekeepers? This Special Issue titled “Antitrust Enforcement in Global Digital Markets—Challenges and Strategies Shaped by Evolving Legislative Frameworks” examines the conceptual underpinnings, doctrinal developments, and real-world effectiveness of recent antitrust interventions in the digital economy.
This Special Issue aims to deepen scholarly insight into antitrust enforcement in the platform era through a comparative examination of legislative frameworks, enforcement practices, and policy outcomes. Contributors will assess the normative foundations and practical workings of emerging regimes, examining whether they effectively restore meaningful contestability, protect consumer welfare, and preserve market integrity. Aligned with the journal’s focus on Competition Law, regulatory policy, and innovation, this special issue seeks to bridge theoretical inquiry with practice-oriented critique, offering both innovative conceptual frameworks and empirically grounded policy recommendations.
In this Special Issue, original research articles are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Comparative Analysis of Antitrust Legal and Regulatory Frameworks;
- Theories of Harm, Market Power, Market Definition, and Enforcement;
- Consumer Welfare and Platform Governance;
- Industrial Policy and Market Contestability.
Submission Guidelines: We invite manuscripts between 4000 and 15000 words (including footnotes), to be prepared in accordance with the journal’s style guide (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/laws/instructions). Full papers are due by 1 May 2026.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Jing Wang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Laws is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- digital platforms
- gatekeepers
- anti-competitive practices
- competition law and policy
- antitrust enforcement
- market power
- market contestability
- consumer welfare
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
