New article out in New Political Economy by Bernardo Rangoni (with Mark Thatcher)

Posted on Monday 16 February 2026

The article challenges the widespread view that competition policy has become increasingly depoliticised through delegation to independent authorities. Through a comparative study of the United Kingdom and Italy, it shows instead a process of “institutional re-politicisation,” in which elected politicians have reasserted authority over cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Using process-tracing of key policy episodes, the study identifies the coalitions that drove this shift and the arguments used to legitimise it. It finds that a broad alliance of right- and left-wing politicians, trade unions, and producer groups mobilised concerns about national identity, heritage, and cultural significance—well before widely cited factors such as rising tensions with China or vulnerabilities linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The article contributes to debates on de-/re-politicisation, competition policy, and the politics of foreign investment by showing how even highly depoliticised policy domains can become re-politicised through identity-based claims that enable broad coalition-building.