This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

How (Not) to Measure Competition

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Boone, J.
Ours, J.C. van
Wiel, H.P. van der (Tilburg University, Tilburg Law and Economics Center)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We introduce a new measure of competition: the elasticity of a firm?s profits with respect to its cost level. A higher value of this profit elasticity (PE) signals more intense competi- tion. Using firm-level data we compare PE with the most popular competition measures such as the price cost margin (PCM). We show that PE and PCM are highly correlated on average. However, PCM tends to misrepresent the development of competition over time in markets with few firms and high concentration, i.e. in markets with high policy relevance. So, just when it is needed the most PCM fails whereas PE does not. From this we conclude that PE is a more reliable measure of competition. Keywords: competition, profit elasticity, measures of competition, concentration, price cost margin, profits JEL classification: D43, L13

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=60923
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Tilburg University, Tilburg Law and Economic Center in its series Discussion Paper with number 2007-014.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 2007
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:dgr:kubtil:2007014

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/tilec/

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Corry Stuyts).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Franklin M. Fisher, 1987. "On the Misuse of the Profits-Sales Ratio to Infer Monopoly Power," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 18(3), pages 384-396, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Klette, T.J., 1998. "Market Power, Scale Economies and Productivity: Estimates from a Panel of Establishment Data," Memorandum 15/1998, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  3. Rahab Amir, 2000. "Market Structure, Scale Economies, and Industry Performance," CIG Working Papers FS IV 00-08, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Panzar, John C & Rosse, James N, 1987. "Testing for "Monopoly" Equilibrium," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(4), pages 443-56, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Olivier Blanchard & Francesco Giavazzi, 2003. "Macroeconomic Effects Of Regulation And Deregulation In Goods And Labor Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(3), pages 879-907, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Boone, J., 2000. "Competition," Discussion Paper 104, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Robert E. Hall, 1988. "The Relation Between Price and Marginal Cost in U.S. Industry," NBER Working Papers 1785, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Nickell, Stephen J, 1996. "Competition and Corporate Performance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(4), pages 724-46, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Boone, Jan, 2004. "A New Way to Measure Competition," CEPR Discussion Papers 4330, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Hall, Robert E, 1988. "The Relation between Price and Marginal Cost in U.S. Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(5), pages 921-47, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Rabah Amir & Val E. Lambson, 1998. "On the Effects of Entry in Cournot Markets," CIE Discussion Papers 1998-06, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Industrial Economics.
    Other versions:
  12. Jerry A. Hausman & Gregory Leonard & J. Douglas Zona, 1994. "Competitive Analysis with Differentiated Products," Annales d'Economie et de Statistique, ADRES, issue 34, pages 07, Avril-Jui. [Downloadable!]
  13. Boone, J., 2003. "Optimal competition: a benchmark for competition policy," Discussion Paper 3, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Aviv Nevo, 1998. "Measuring Market Power in the Ready-to-Eat Cereal Industry," NBER Working Papers 6387, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  15. Bresnahan, Timothy F & Reiss, Peter C, 1990. "Entry in Monopoly Markets," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 57(4), pages 531-53, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. N. Gregory Mankiw & Michael D. Whinston, 1986. "Free Entry and Social Inefficiency," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 17(1), pages 48-58, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Roeger, Werner, 1995. "Can Imperfect Competition Explain the Difference between Primal and Dual Productivity Measures? Estimates for U.S. Manufacturing," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(2), pages 316-30, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Corts, Kenneth S., 1998. "Conduct parameters and the measurement of market power," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 227-250, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Philippe Aghion & Nicholas Bloom & Richard Blundell & Rachel Griffith & Peter Howitt, 2002. "Competition and innovation: an inverted U relationship," IFS Working Papers W02/04, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  20. Balk, B.M., 2001. "The Residual: On Monitoring and Benchmarking Firms, Industries, and Economies with respect to Productivity," Inaugural Address EIA-2001-007-MKT Revision, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus Uni. [Downloadable!]
  21. Jeremy Bulow & Paul Klemperer, 2002. "Prices and the Winner's Curse," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 33(1), pages 1-21, Spring.
    Other versions:
  22. Fisher, Franklin M & McGowan, John J, 1983. "On the Misuse of Accounting Rates of Return to Infer Monopoly Profits," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(1), pages 82-97, March.
  23. Bresnahan, Timothy F & Reiss, Peter C, 1991. "Entry and Competition in Concentrated Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(5), pages 977-1009, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  24. Berry, Steven & Levinsohn, James & Pakes, Ariel, 1995. "Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 841-90, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  25. Vives, Xavier, 2004. "Innovation and Competitive Pressure," CEPR Discussion Papers 4369, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Anna Lovasz, 2008. "Competition and the Gender Wage Gap: New Evidence from Linked Employer-Employee Data in Hungary 1986-2003," Budapest Working Papers on the Labour Market 0804, Institute of Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences. [Downloadable!]
  2. Heyman, Fredrik & Svaleryd, Helena & Vlachos, Jonas, 2008. "Competition, Takeovers and Gender Discrimination," Working Paper Series 734, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Ferdinand Rauch, 2008. "An explanation for the inverted-U relationship between competition and innovation," Vienna Economics Papers 0813, University of Vienna, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  4. Harold Creusen & Bert Minne & Henry van der Wiel, 2006. "Competition in the Netherlands," CPB Documents 136, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. [Downloadable!]
  5. Nillesen, P. & Pollitt, M.G., 2008. "Ownership unbundling in electricity distribution: empircal evidence from New Zealand," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0836, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
  6. Alex Coad, 2008. "Firm growth and scaling of growth rate variance in multiplant firms," Economics Bulletin, Economics Bulletin, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS also covers the most complete directory of Economics departments and institutes, EDIRC.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.