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Merger Profitability in Unionized Oligopoly

Author

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  • Lommerud, Kjell Erik
  • Straume, Odd Rune
  • Sørgard, Lars

Abstract

We examine how a merger a ffects wages of unionized labour and, in turn, the profitability of a merger under both Cournot and Bertrand competition. If unions are plant-specific, we find that a merger is more profitable than in a corresponding model with exogenous wages. In contrast to the received literature, we find that it can be more profitable totake partin amergerthan being an outsider. For firm-specific unions, on the other hand, results are reversed.

Suggested Citation

  • Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Straume, Odd Rune & Sørgard, Lars, 2000. "Merger Profitability in Unionized Oligopoly," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series qt9736w3k9, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucsbec:qt9736w3k9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Steffen Huck & Kai A. Konrad, 2004. "Merger Profitability and Trade Policy," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 106(1), pages 107-122, March.
    2. Straume, Odd Rune, 2003. "International mergers and trade liberalisation: implications for unionised labour," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 717-735, May.
    3. Thomas Giebe & Miyu Lee, 2020. "Competitors in merger control: Shall they be merely heard or also listened to?," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 431-453, June.
    4. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Straume, Odd Rune & Sorgard, Lars, 2005. "Downstream merger with upstream market power," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 717-743, April.
    5. Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume & Lars Sørgard & Odd Rune Straume, 2002. "Downstream Merger with Oligopolistic Input Suppliers," CESifo Working Paper Series 733, CESifo.
    6. Steffen Huck & Kai A. Konrad, 2003. "Strategic Trade Policy and Merger Profitability," CESifo Working Paper Series 948, CESifo.
    7. An Liu & Inge Noback, 2011. "Determinants of regional female labour market participation in the Netherlands," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 47(3), pages 641-658, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    mergerprofitability; trade unions; endogenous wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices

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