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M&A Advisory and the Merger Review Process

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Two firms propose a merger to the antitrust authority. They are uninformed about the efficiencies generated by the merger, but can hire an expert to gather information on their behalf. The authority is also uninformed about the merger's efficiencies, but can run a costly internal investigation to learn them. We analyze the effect of the disclosure of the expert's contract on consumer welfare, and show that consumers are not necessarily better off with disclosure. This negative effect hinges on a free-riding problem between expert and authority in the information acquisition game, and is more relevant in highly competitive industries.

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  • Michele Bisceglia & Salvatore Piccolo & Emanuele Tarantino, 2018. "M&A Advisory and the Merger Review Process," CSEF Working Papers 515, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:sef:csefwp:515
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Advice; Competition Policy; Mergers; Advisory Contract; Disclosure.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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