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A look upstream: Market restructuring, risk, procurement contracts and efficiency

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  • Di Maria, Corrado
  • Lange, Ian
  • Lazarova, Emiliya

Abstract

We study how market deregulation affects the upstream industry both theoretically and empirically. Our theory predicts that firms respond to increases in uncertainty due to deregulation by writing more rigid contracts with their suppliers. Using the restructuring of the U.S. electricity market as our case study, we find support for our theoretical predictions. Our findings imply a greater emphasis on efficiency at coal mines contracting with restructured plants. The evidence suggests a 17% improvement in productivity at these mines, relative to those contracting with regulated plants. We find, on the other hand, that transaction costs may have increased. We conclude that deregulation has significant impacts upstream from deregulated markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Di Maria, Corrado & Lange, Ian & Lazarova, Emiliya, 2018. "A look upstream: Market restructuring, risk, procurement contracts and efficiency," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 35-83.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:57:y:2018:i:c:p:35-83
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijindorg.2017.12.007
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ohler, Adrienne & Mohammadi, Hassan & Loomis, David G., 2020. "Electricity restructuring and the relationship between fuel costs and electricity prices for industrial and residential customers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Sébastien Houde & Wenjun Wang, 2022. "The Incidence of the U.S.-China Solar Trade War," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 22/372, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Coal use; Energy; Electricity market restructuring; Procurement contracts; Efficiency; Transaction costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q31 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q35 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Hydrocarbon Resources
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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