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Incentives for input foreclosure

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  • Inderst, Roman
  • Valletti, Tommaso

Abstract

We analyze the incentives of a vertically integrated firm to foreclose downstream rivals in a model of upstream price competition between suppliers of only imperfectly substitutable inputs. Our main motivation is a critical assessment of common assertions that draw inferences from pre-merger observable variables to post-merger incentives to foreclose. In particular, we find that, contrary to some commonly expressed views, high margins on the downstream and low margins on the upstream market are not good predictors for the incentives of a newly integrated firm to foreclose rivals. Besides this contribution to policy, our model also extends existing results in the literature on vertical foreclosure through allowing for the interaction of product differentiation on the upstream and on the downstream market.

Suggested Citation

  • Inderst, Roman & Valletti, Tommaso, 2011. "Incentives for input foreclosure," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(6), pages 820-831, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:55:y:2011:i:6:p:820-831
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Johan Hombert & Jérôme Pouyet & Nicolas Schutz, 2019. "Anticompetitive Vertical Merger Waves," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(3-4), pages 484-514, September.
    2. Philippe Choné & Laurent Linnemer, 2019. "The quasilinear quadratic utility model: an overview," CESifo Working Paper Series 7640, CESifo.
    3. Serge Moresi & Steven C. Salop, 2021. "When Vertical is Horizontal: How Vertical Mergers Lead to Increases in “Effective Concentration”," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 59(2), pages 177-204, September.
    4. Akgün, Uğur & Caffarra, Cristina & Etro, Federico & Stillman, Robert, 2020. "On the welfare impact of mergers of complements: Raising rivals’ costs versus elimination of double marginalization," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    5. Serge Moresi & Serge Moresi & Marius Schwartz, 2021. "Vertical Mergers with Input Substitution: Double Marginalization, Foreclosure and Welfare," Working Papers gueconwpa~21-21-03, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
    6. Choné, Philippe & Linnemer, Laurent, 2020. "Linear demand systems for differentiated goods: Overview and user’s guide," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    7. Joachim Heinzel & Simon Hoof, 2020. "Oligopolistic Upstream Competition with Differentiated Inputs," Working Papers CIE 129, Paderborn University, CIE Center for International Economics.
    8. Martin Peitz & Markus Reisinger, 2014. "Indirect Taxation in Vertical Oligopoly," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 709-755, December.
    9. Ricardo Gonçalves, 2023. "Backward Partial Vertical Integration Through Private Placement," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 101-122, December.
    10. Edward J. Webb, 2014. "Perception and quality choice in vertically differentiated markets," Discussion Papers 14-07, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    11. Moresi, Serge & Schwartz, Marius, 2021. "Vertical mergers with input substitution: Double marginalization, foreclosure and welfare," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    12. Döpper, Hendrik & Sapi, Geza & Wey, Christian, 2022. "A bargaining perspective on vertical integration," DICE Discussion Papers 389, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    13. Hendrik Döpper & Geza Sapi & Christian Wey, 2024. "A bargaining perspective on vertical integration," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(1), pages 199-224, February.
    14. Simon Loertscher & Markus Reisinger, 2014. "Market structure and the competitive effects of vertical integration," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 45(3), pages 471-494, September.
    15. Ioannis N. Pinopoulos, 2011. "Input foreclosure under alternative entry conditions in the upstream market," Discussion Paper Series 2011_15, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Nov 2011.

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