IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/indorg/v85y2022ics0167718722000650.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Did the MillerCoors joint venture strengthen the craft beer revolution?

Author

Listed:
  • Azar, José
  • Barriola, Xabier

Abstract

We study how the MillerCoors joint venture affected craft brewers in the United States. We use scanner data to track the entry, assortment, and market share of artisanal and commercial brewers over a 4-year period after the merger. Using an instrumental variables strategy that uses only variation in concentration generated by the merger, we find that, in the average market, the merger led to an 11.59% increase in the number of craft brewers. The number of products per craft brewer did not increase. Most of the new entrants were small, and thus the market share of craft brewers experienced only a small (though statistically significant) increase. This entry of new firms may have been facilitated by the increase in prices by incumbent commercial producers following the merger.

Suggested Citation

  • Azar, José & Barriola, Xabier, 2022. "Did the MillerCoors joint venture strengthen the craft beer revolution?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:85:y:2022:i:c:s0167718722000650
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijindorg.2022.102890
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167718722000650
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2022.102890?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. Anthony M. Marino & Ján Zábojník, 2006. "Merger, Ease Of Entry And Entry Deterrence In A Dynamic Model," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 397-423, September.
    2. Gregory J. Werden & Luke M. Froeb, 1998. "The Entry‐Inducing Effects of Horizontal Mergers: An Exploratory Analysis," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 525-543, December.
    3. Robin A. Prager & Timothy H. Hannan, 1998. "Do Substantial Horizontal Mergers Generate Significant Price Effects? Evidence From The Banking Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 433-452, December.
    4. Leemore Dafny & Mark Duggan & Subramaniam Ramanarayanan, 2012. "Paying a Premium on Your Premium? Consolidation in the US Health Insurance Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(2), pages 1161-1185, April.
    5. Ken Heyer & Carl Shapiro & Jeffrey Wilder, 2009. "The Year in Review: Economics at the Antitrust Division, 2008–2009," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 35(4), pages 349-367, December.
    6. Cabral, Luis M. B., 2003. "Horizontal mergers with free-entry: why cost efficiencies may be a weak defense and asset sales a poor remedy," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 607-623, May.
    7. Nathan H. Miller & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2017. "Understanding the Price Effects of the MillerCoors Joint Venture," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85(6), pages 1763-1791, November.
    8. Orley C. Ashenfelter & Daniel S. Hosken & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2013. "The Price Effects of a Large Merger of Manufacturers: A Case Study of Maytag-Whirlpool," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 239-261, February.
    9. Orley C. Ashenfelter & Daniel S. Hosken & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2015. "Efficiencies brewed: pricing and consolidation in the US beer industry," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(2), pages 328-361, June.
    10. Christian Rojas, 2008. "Price Competition In U.S. Brewing," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(1), pages 1-31, March.
    11. Borenstein, Severin, 1990. "Airline Mergers, Airport Dominance, and Market Power," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 400-404, May.
    12. Sun, Liyang & Abraham, Sarah, 2021. "Estimating dynamic treatment effects in event studies with heterogeneous treatment effects," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 175-199.
    13. Werden, Gregory J & Froeb, Luke M, 1998. "The Entry-Inducing Effects of Horizontal Mergers: An Exploratory Analysis," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 525-543, December.
    14. Christopher Garmon, 2017. "The accuracy of hospital merger screening methods," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 48(4), pages 1068-1102, December.
    15. Ambarish Chandra & Matthew Weinberg, 2018. "How Does Advertising Depend on Competition? Evidence from U.S. Brewing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(11), pages 5132-5148, November.
    16. Peter Arcidiacono & Paul B. Ellickson & Carl F. Mela & John D. Singleton, 2020. "The Competitive Effects of Entry: Evidence from Supercenter Expansion," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 175-206, July.
    17. Prager, Robin A & Hannan, Timothy H, 1998. "Do Substantial Horizontal Mergers Generate Significant Price Effects? Evidence from the Banking Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 433-452, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Guler, Ali Umut, 2021. "Seasonal price effects of mergers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    2. Ali Umut Guler & Kanishka Misra & Vishal Singh, 2020. "Heterogeneous Price Effects of Consolidation: Evidence from the Car Rental Industry," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(1), pages 52-70, January.
    3. Pulak Mishra, 2018. "Are Mergers and Acquisitions Necessarily Anti-competitive? Empirical Evidence from India’s Manufacturing Sector," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 12(3), pages 276-307, August.
    4. Orley Ashenfelter & Daniel Hosken & Matthew Weinberg, 2014. "Did Robert Bork Understate the Competitive Impact of Mergers? Evidence from Consummated Mergers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(S3), pages 67-100.
    5. Xabier Barriola, 2022. "The effect of competition on product removal," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 203-214, June.
    6. Orley C. Ashenfelter & Daniel S. Hosken & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2015. "Efficiencies brewed: pricing and consolidation in the US beer industry," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(2), pages 328-361, June.
    7. Brito, Duarte & Pereira, Pedro & Ramalho, Joaquim J.S., 2013. "Mergers, coordinated effects and efficiency in the Portuguese non-life insurance industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 554-568.
    8. Hu, Xiaoxue & Li, Dongxu, 2022. "Do horizontal mergers affect rivals’ cash holdings?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 275-298.
    9. Myongjin Kim & Qi Ge & Donggeun Kim, 2021. "Mergers and labor market outcomes in the US airline industry," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(4), pages 849-866, October.
    10. Kaplow, Louis & Shapiro, Carl, 2007. "Antitrust," Handbook of Law and Economics, in: A. Mitchell Polinsky & Steven Shavell (ed.), Handbook of Law and Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 15, pages 1073-1225, Elsevier.
    11. Christos Genakos & Andreas Lamprinidis & James Walker, 2023. "Evaluating merger effects," CEP Discussion Papers dp1921, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Robert Town & Douglas Wholey & Roger Feldman & Lawton R. Burns, 2006. "The Welfare Consequences of Hospital Mergers," NBER Working Papers 12244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Patrice Bougette & Kai H�schelrath & Kathrin M�ller, 2014. "Do horizontal mergers induce entry? Evidence from the US airline industry," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 31-34, January.
    14. Hammoudeh, Mosab & Nain, Amrita & Qian, Yiming, 2022. "The role of divestitures in horizontal mergers11We thank Jon Garfinkel, Jayant Kale, Kai Li, Gordon Philips, Anand Vijh, Thomas Wollmann, David Ravenscraft and participants at the 2016 American Financ," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Allen N. Berger & Seth D. Bonime & Lawrence G. Goldberg & Lawrence J. White, 1999. "The dynamics of market entry: the effects of mergers and acquisitions on do novo entry and small business lending in the banking industry," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1999-41, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    16. Cavenaile, Laurent & Celik, Murat Alp & Tian, Xu, 2021. "The Dynamic Effects of Antitrust Policy on Growth and Welfare," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 42-59.
    17. Elena Argentesi & Albert Banal-Estanol & Jo Seldeslachts & Meagan Andrews, 2017. "A Retrospective Evaluation of the GDF/Suez Merger: Effects on Gas Hub Prices," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1664, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    18. Somnath Das, 2019. "Effect of Merger on Market Price and Product Quality: American and US Airways," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 55(3), pages 339-374, November.
    19. Charpin, Ariane & Piechucka, Joanna, 2021. "Merger efficiency gains: Evidence from a large transport merger in france," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    20. Christos Genakos & Tommaso Valletti & Frank Verboven, 2018. "Evaluating market consolidation in mobile communications," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 33(93), pages 45-100.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mergers; Product policies; Competitive strategies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • L66 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Food; Beverages; Cosmetics; Tobacco

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:indorg:v:85:y:2022:i:c:s0167718722000650. 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/inca/505551 .

    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.