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Welfare‐Reducing Mergers in Differentiated Oligopolies with Free Entry

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  • NISVAN ERKAL
  • DANIEL PICCININ

Abstract

Antitrust authorities regard the possibility of post‐merger entry and merger‐generated efficiencies as two factors that may counteract the negative effects of horizontal mergers. This article shows that in differentiated oligopolies with linear demand, all entry‐inducing mergers harm consumer welfare. This is because if there is entry following a merger, it implies that the merger‐generated efficiencies were not sufficiently large. Mergers which induce exit, owing to sufficiently high cost savings, always improve consumer welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Nisvan Erkal & Daniel Piccinin, 2010. "Welfare‐Reducing Mergers in Differentiated Oligopolies with Free Entry," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 86(273), pages 178-184, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:86:y:2010:i:273:p:178-184
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2009.00612.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Spector, David, 2003. "Horizontal mergers, entry, and efficiency defences," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(10), pages 1591-1600, December.
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    6. Gautam Gowrisankaran, 1999. "A Dynamic Model of Endogenous Horizonal Mergers," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 30(1), pages 56-83, Spring.
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    Cited by:

    1. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2024. "The Design of Emission Taxes in Markets with New Firm Acquisitions," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Handbook of Merger Control and Environmental Policy, chapter 0, pages 225-243, Springer.
    2. Kai Hüschelrath & Kathrin Müller, 2015. "Market Power, Efficiencies, and Entry Evidence from an Airline Merger," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(4), pages 239-255, June.
    3. Kovác, Eugen & Vinogradov, Viatcheslav & Zigic, Kresimir, 2010. "Technological leadership and persistence of monopoly under endogenous entry: Static versus dynamic analysis," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1421-1441, August.
    4. Simon P. Anderson, Nisvan Erkal and, 2009. "Aggregative Oligopoly Games with Entry," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 1175, The University of Melbourne, revised 2013.
    5. Han, Aiping & Ge, Jianping & Lei, Yalin, 2016. "Vertical vs. horizontal integration: Game analysis for the rare earth industrial integration in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 149-159.
    6. Federico Etro, 2014. "The Theory Of Endogenous Market Structures," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 804-830, December.
    7. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2024. "Welfare Impact of New Firm Acquisition," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Handbook of Merger Control and Environmental Policy, chapter 0, pages 105-132, Springer.
    8. Federico Etro, 2014. "Some thoughts on the Sutton approach," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 99-113, June.
    9. Etro, Federico, 2016. "Research in economics and industrial organization," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 511-517.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law

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