News
Vice President Joshua White Discusses the Interplay Between UK Merger Control and the “Pro-Growth Agenda”
Vice President Joshua White participated in the panel “Assessing the Interplay between Merger Control and the ‘Pro-Growth Agenda’” at the ThoughtLeaders4 Merger Control Forum 2025 in London. The session was moderated by Peter Harper (Eversheds Sutherland) and featured panellists Becket McGrath (Euclid Law), Francesca Sala (Oxera), Ronan Scanlan (Steptoe), and Alex Williams OBE (UK Department for Business and Trade). The discussion explored the evolving role of competition enforcement in the UK, focusing on how the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) recent approach to merger control aligns with broader government ambitions for economic growth.
Mr. White began by proposing a re-examination of how “growth” is defined in this context, suggesting that policymakers look beyond foreign investment levels toward broader indicators of economic growth. Referencing the work of Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion, Mr. White discussed the relationship between competition levels and innovation, highlighting the role of the latter as a driver of economic growth.
Turning to merger control, and reflecting on the UK government’s strategic steer, Mr. White underscored the need for greater transparency around merger review outcomes emerging from the CMA’s briefing paper process – insights which are typically not made public. He noted that such transparency is increasingly important, given the growing complexity of markets and theories of harm, and added that visibility into the CMA’s evolving thinking and areas of focus could benefit investment and enhance merger outcome predictability. Mr. White additionally highlighted the importance of balancing efficiencies in merger review as a mechanism for incorporating industrial policy considerations in merger control.
Associated People
Joshua White
Vice PresidentMr. White is a consulting economist who specializes in applying microeconomics and sophisticated econometric modeling to complex litigation and merger-related questions, primarily in matters involving the health care, financial services, and technology industries. His work across a diverse set of engagements has encompassed simulating consumer demand and switching behavior, analyzing whether intellectual property (IP) licensing rates are FRAND-compliant, and estimating ex ante default probabilities for structured investment vehicles. He also has substantial experience developing innovative technological tools for analyzing datasets for merger and competition analyses.
Mr. White has supported both economic and scientific experts addressing competition and intellectual property (IP) issues in matters related to cutting-edge pharmaceutical products. He has supported clients in various jurisdictions and industries in follow-on cartel damages litigation, assessing overcharge, upstream and downstream pass-on, and volume effects.
Mr. White has worked in a number of international jurisdictions and has served as a testifying expert in the UK’s Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on competition matters related to restrictive land covenants. He has also given evidence and submissions to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on behalf of clients involved in market investigations and mergers. Mr. White has supported several clients before the European Commission on cartel and merger matters and has provided support to European financial and competition regulators in coordinated conduct investigations. Mr. White has published a number of articles and regularly speaks at international competition law and policy conferences.