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Cementing Relationships: Vertical Integration, Foreclosure, Productivity, and Prices

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Author Info
Ali Hortacsu
Chad Syverson

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Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the possible market power effects of vertical integration proposed in the theoretical literature on vertical foreclosure. It uses a rich data set of cement and ready-mixed concrete plants that spans several decades to perform a detailed case study. There is little evidence that foreclosure is quantitatively important in these industries. Instead, prices fall, quantities rise, and entry rates remain unchanged when markets become more integrated. These patterns are consistent, however, with an alternative efficiency-based mechanism. Namely, higher productivity producers are more likely to vertically integrate and are also larger, more likely to survive, and charge lower prices. We find evidence that integrated producers' productivity advantage is tied to improved logistics coordination afforded by large local concrete operations. Interestingly, this benefit is not due to firms' vertical structures per se: non-vertical firms with large local concrete operations have similarly high productivity levels.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 12894.

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Date of creation: Feb 2007
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:12894

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing
L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
L4 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies

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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.:
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    Other versions:
  9. Chad Syverson, 2004. "Prices, Spatial Competition, and Heterogeneous Producers: An Empirical Test," Working Papers 04-16, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Eslava, Marcela & Haltiwanger, John & Kugler, Adriana & Kugler, Maurice, 2004. "The effects of structural reforms on productivity and profitability enhancing reallocation: evidence from Colombia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 333-371, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Williamson, Oliver E, 1971. "The Vertical Integration of Production: Market Failure Considerations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 61(2), pages 112-23, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Ali Hortacsu & Chad Syverson, 2006. "Cementing Relationships: Vertical Integration, Foreclosure, Productivity, and Prices," Working Papers 06-21, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. John Asker, 2004. "Diagnosing Foreclosure Due to Exclusive Dealing," Working Papers 04-36, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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    Other versions:
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  18. Robert H. McGuckin & Sang V. Nguyen, 1995. "On Productivity and Plant Ownership Change: New Evidence from the Longitudinal Research Database," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(2), pages 257-276, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  21. Lucia Foster & John Haltiwanger & Chad Syverson, 2005. "Reallocation, Firm Turnover, and Efficiency: Selection on Productivity or Profitability?," Working Papers 05-11, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
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  22. Ordover, Janusz A & Saloner, Garth & Salop, Steven C, 1990. "Equilibrium Vertical Foreclosure," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(1), pages 127-42, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  25. Tasneem Chipty, 2001. "Vertical Integration, Market Foreclosure, and Consumer Welfare in the Cable Television Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(3), pages 428-453, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  27. Lucy White & Volker Nocke, 2004. "Do Vertical Mergers Facilitate Upstream Collusion?," 2004 Meeting Papers 45, Society for Economic Dynamics.
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  28. Allen, Bruce T, 1971. "Vertical Integration and Market Foreclosure: The Case of Cement and Concrete," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 14(1), pages 251-74, April.
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  30. David M. Kreps & Jose A. Scheinkman, 1983. "Quantity Precommitment and Bertrand Competition Yield Cournot Outcomes," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 14(2), pages 326-337, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Kugler, Maurice & Verhoogen, Eric A., 2009. "The Quality-Complementarity Hypothesis: Theory and Evidence from Colombia," CEPR Discussion Papers 7119, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Macchiavello, Rocco, 2007. "Financial Constraints and the Costs and Benefits of Vertical Integration," CEPR Discussion Papers 6104, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Ali Hortacsu & Chad Syverson, 2007. "Cementing Relationships: Vertical Integration, Foreclosure, Productivity, and Prices," NBER Working Papers 12894, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Rocco Macchiavello, 2008. "Contractual Institutions, Financial Development and Vertical Integration: Theory and Evidence," Economics Series Working Papers 392, University of Oxford, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Allan Collard-Wexler, 2006. "Plant Turnover and Demand Fluctuations in the Ready-Mix Concrete Industry," Working Papers 06-08, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
  6. Richard Gilbert & David Newbery, 2008. "Analytical Screens for Electricity Mergers," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 217-239, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Michael H. Riordan, 2005. "Competitive effects of vertical integration," Discussion Papers 0506-11, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Macchiavello, Rocco, 2006. "Contractual Institutions, Financial Development and Vertical Integration: Theory and Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 5903, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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