IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v87y2020ics0140988320300578.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are big mergers welfare enhancing when there is environmental externality?

Author

Listed:
  • Fikru, Mahelet G.
  • Gautier, Luis

Abstract

Previous studies find that horizontal merger deals that consolidate a majority of firms in the market are likely to reduce welfare. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the size of a merger and welfare in industries with environmental externality. In an international framework we show that in a market where more than 50% of firms have merged, a further increase in the size of the merger could increase or decrease welfare depending on two previously unexplored factors: (i) a given threshold of size of a merger and (ii) the pollution intensity of firms. Furthermore, we show that the relationship between welfare and size of merger can be affected by an exogenous change in emission tax at home and in a foreign country.

Suggested Citation

  • Fikru, Mahelet G. & Gautier, Luis, 2020. "Are big mergers welfare enhancing when there is environmental externality?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:87:y:2020:i:c:s0140988320300578
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104718
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988320300578
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104718?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Farrell, Joseph & Shapiro, Carl, 1990. "Horizontal Mergers: An Equilibrium Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(1), pages 107-126, March.
    2. Creti, Anna & Sanin, María-Eugenia, 2017. "Does environmental regulation create merger incentives?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 618-630.
    3. Levin, Dan, 1990. "Horizontal Mergers: The 50-Percent Benchmark," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(5), pages 1238-1245, December.
    4. Sajal Lahiri & George Symeonidis, 2007. "Piecemeal Multilateral Environmental Policy Reforms under Asymmetric Oligopoly," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 9(5), pages 885-899, October.
    5. Stephen W. Salant & Sheldon Switzer & Robert J. Reynolds, 1983. "Losses From Horizontal Merger: The Effects of an Exogenous Change in Industry Structure on Cournot-Nash Equilibrium," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 98(2), pages 185-199.
    6. Gérard Gaudet & Rams Kanouni, 2004. "Trade Liberalization and the Profitability of Domestic Mergers," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 353-358, August.
    7. Barros, Pedro P. & Cabral, Luis, 1994. "Merger policy in open economies," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 1041-1055, May.
    8. Qiu, Larry D. & Zhou, Wen, 2006. "International mergers: Incentives and welfare," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 38-58, January.
    9. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Gautier, Luis, 2016. "Mergers in Cournot markets with environmental externality and product differentiation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 65-79.
    10. B. Rajesh Kumar, 2012. "Mega Mergers and Acquisitions," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-00590-8.
    11. Davidson, Carl & Mukherjee, Arijit, 2007. "Horizontal mergers with free entry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 157-172, February.
    12. Panos Hatzipanayotou & Sajal Lahiri & Michael S. Michael, 2005. "Reforms of Environmental Policies in the Presence of Cross‐border Pollution and Public–Private Clean‐up," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 107(2), pages 315-333, June.
    13. Gautier, Luis, 2014. "Policy reform of emission taxes and environmental research and development incentives in an international Cournot model with product differentiation," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 440-465, August.
    14. Luca Berchicci & Glen Dowell & Andrew A. King, 2012. "Environmental capabilities and corporate strategy: exploring acquisitions among US manufacturing firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(9), pages 1053-1071, September.
    15. Amrita Ray Chaudhuri & Hassan Benchekroun, 2012. "Welfare Effect of Mergers and Multilateral Trade Liberalization," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 119-133, February.
    16. M. Kayalica & Sajal Lahiri, 2005. "Strategic Environmental Policies in the Presence of Foreign Direct Investment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 30(1), pages 1-21, January.
    17. Luis Gautier, 2017. "Emission Taxes and Product Differentiation in the Presence of Foreign Firms," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 19(2), pages 461-489, April.
    18. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Lahiri, Sajal, 2014. "Cross-border mergers with flexible policy regime: The role of efficiency and market size," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 58-70.
    19. Kamal Saggi & Halis Murat Yildiz, 2006. "On the International Linkages between Trade and Merger Policies," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 212-225, May.
    20. B. Rajesh Kumar, 2012. "Mergers and Acquisitions in the Energy Sector," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Mega Mergers and Acquisitions, chapter 6, pages 166-180, Palgrave Macmillan.
    21. David R. Collie, 2003. "Mergers and Trade Policy under Oligopoly," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(1), pages 55-71, February.
    22. Ohsung Kwon & Sangmin Lim & Duk Hee Lee, 2018. "Acquiring startups in the energy sector: a study of firm value and environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1376-1384, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2022. "The Welfare Impact of New Firm Acquisitions," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 535-559, December.
    2. Hu, Jun & Fang, Qi & Wu, Huiying, 2023. "Environmental tax and highly polluting firms' green transformation: Evidence from green mergers and acquisitions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PB).
    3. Choi, Pak-Sing & Espínola-Arredondo, Ana & Muñoz-García, Félix, 2022. "Environmental policy helping antitrust decisions: Socially excessive and insufficient merger approvals," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Haucap, Justus & Stiebale, Joel, 2023. "Non-price effects of mergers and acquisitions," DICE Discussion Papers 402, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    5. Erdős, Katalin & Baczur, Roland & Kehl, Dániel & Farkas, Richárd, 2022. "When post-merger price effect becomes smoothed over time: A case of a gasoline market merger," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mehdi Arzandeh & Hikmet Gunay, 2023. "Tariffs, R&D, and two merger policies," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 81-105, February.
    2. Ulus Aysegul & Yildiz Halis M., 2012. "On the Relationship between Tariff Levels and the Nature of Mergers," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-40, December.
    3. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2022. "The Welfare Impact of New Firm Acquisitions," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 535-559, December.
    4. Arijit Mukherjee & Umut Erksan Senalp, 2021. "Firm‐productivity and cross border merger," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 838-859, September.
    5. Beladi, Hamid & Mukherjee, Arijit, 2012. "Footloose foreign firm and profitable domestic merger," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 186-194.
    6. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Gautier, Luis, 2016. "Mergers in Cournot markets with environmental externality and product differentiation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 65-79.
    7. Amrita Ray Chaudhuri & Hassan Benchekroun, 2012. "Welfare Effect of Mergers and Multilateral Trade Liberalization," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 119-133, February.
    8. Mahelet G. Fikru & Sajal Lahiri, 2013. "Can a Merger Take Place among Symmetric Firms?," Studies in Microeconomics, , vol. 1(2), pages 155-162, December.
    9. Mahelet G. Fikru & Luis Gautier, 2017. "Environmental taxation and mergers in oligopoly markets with product differentiation," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 45-65, September.
    10. Amrita Ray Chaudhuri, 2014. "Cross-Border Mergers and Market Segmentation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 229-257, June.
    11. Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume & Lars Sørgard, 2006. "National versus international mergers in unionized oligopoly," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 37(1), pages 212-233, March.
    12. Mahelet G. Fikru, 2013. "Environmental Policies, Mergers and Welfare," Economía Mexicana NUEVA ÉPOCA, CIDE, División de Economía, vol. 0(2), pages 449-461, July-Dece.
    13. Choi, Pak-Sing & Espínola-Arredondo, Ana & Muñoz-García, Félix, 2022. "Environmental policy helping antitrust decisions: Socially excessive and insufficient merger approvals," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    14. Luis Gautier, 2017. "Local content and emission taxes when the number of foreign firms is endogenous," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 239-266, November.
    15. Fikru, Mahelet G., 2016. "Modelling mergers among polluting firms when environmental policy is endogenous," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-6.
    16. Martin Chalkley & Geoff Stewart, 2011. "Trade Liberalisation, Market Structure and the Incentive to Merge," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 1327-1347, August.
    17. Andreas Haufler & Søren Bo Nielsen, 2008. "Merger policy to promote 'global players'? A simple model," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 60(3), pages 517-545, July.
    18. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Sorgard, Lars, 1997. "Merger and product range rivalry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 21-42, November.
    19. Ray Chaudhuri, A. & Benchekroun, H., 2008. "Welfare Effect of Mergers and Trade Liberalization," Discussion Paper 2008-009, Tilburg University, Tilburg Law and Economic Center.
    20. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Lahiri, Sajal, 2014. "Cross-border mergers with flexible policy regime: The role of efficiency and market size," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 58-70.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:87:y:2020:i:c:s0140988320300578. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.