This paper studies how buyers' integration affects the capacity choice of a producer. Contrary to "conventional wisdom", we show that, under natural assumptions, integration may lead to a higher equilibrium supply level. Our result hinges on the following trade-off: for any given level of capacity, the share of the total surplus accruing to the producer is lower when concentration is high, i.e. the hold-up is more severe. Yet, this share decreases when capacity increases. This reduces the incentives to increase capacity. The rate at which this occurs is higher when concentration is low. The second effect counteracts, and may dominate, the first. When the cost of capacity is low the equilibrium supply level is always higher when downstream concentration is high.
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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.:
Martin J. Osborne & Ariel Rubinstein, 1994.
"A Course in Game Theory,"
MIT Press Books,
The MIT Press,
edition 1, volume 1, number 0262650401.
Other versions:
Sergiu Hart & Andreu Mas-Colell, 1994.
"Bargaining and Value,"
Economics Working Papers
114, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Feb 1995.
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