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Assessing the Competitive Behaviour of Firms in the Single Market: A Micro-based Approach

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  • Carlo Altomonte
  • Marcella Nicolini
  • Armando Rungi
  • Laura Ogliari

Abstract

This Report analyses and compares a number of indicators related to the evolution of the competitive behaviour of firms in the Single Market, from 1999 to 2007, in a selected number of both manufacturing and services industries and eight EU countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden. A novelty of the approach is that the analysis is derived from firm-level observable data, which allow to grasp not only information on the average changes taking place in each industry and across countries, but also the distribution and sources of these changes in terms of individual firms' pricing behaviour and market shares, an information which is impossible to gather in detail from aggregate, traditional sector-level measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Altomonte & Marcella Nicolini & Armando Rungi & Laura Ogliari, 2010. "Assessing the Competitive Behaviour of Firms in the Single Market: A Micro-based Approach," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 409, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
  • Handle: RePEc:euf:ecopap:0409
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    Cited by:

    1. Duso, Tomaso & Seldeslachts, Jo & Szucs, Florian, 2019. "The Impact of Competition Policy Enforcement on the Functioning of EU Energy Markets," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 40(01), pages 97-120.
    2. João Amador & Ana Cristina Soares, 2018. "Competition in the Portuguese economy: insights from a profit elasticity approach," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 45(2), pages 339-365, May.
    3. Loredana Fattorini & Mahdi Ghodsi & Armando Rungi, 2020. "Cohesion Policy Meets Heterogeneous Firms," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 803-817, July.
    4. Ana Cristina Soares & João Amador, 2012. "Competition in the Portuguese Economy:An overview of classical indicators," Working Papers w201208, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    5. Crespo, Aranzazu; Segura-Cayuela, Ruben, 2014. "Understanding Competitiveness," Economics Working Papers MWP2014/20, European University Institute.
    6. Mario Mariniello & Marco Antonielli, 2014. "Antitrust risk in EU manufacturing- A sector-level ranking," Working Papers 836, Bruegel.
    7. Altomonte, Carlo & Nicolini, Marcella, 2012. "Economic integration and the dynamics of firms’ competitive behavior," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 383-402.
    8. Ana Cristina Soares & João Amador, 2012. "Competition in the Portuguese Economy: a view on tradables and non-tradables," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    european union; eu; setzer; wolff; van den Noord; euro area; money; heterogeneity; money holdings;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

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