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Markups and the Business Cycle: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Branches

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  • Domenico Marchetti

Abstract

This paper investigates the markup of price over marginal cost in Italian manufacturing branches. The approach used is an extension of Hall's model that addresses some measurement shortcomings and theoretical limitations that may affect this class of model. The hypothesis of perfect competition is rejected in the majority of sectors over the period 1977–1995. The cyclical behavior of markups is found to vary significantly across branches, thereby helping to explain the contradictory evidence regarding the whole manufacturing sector reported in the literature. At branch level, industry concentration is found to be associated with countercyclical markups, providing scope for real effects of aggregate demand shocks. Finally, the size of the markup is negatively affected by both domestic and foreign competitive pressure. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2002

Suggested Citation

  • Domenico Marchetti, 2002. "Markups and the Business Cycle: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Branches," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 87-103, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:13:y:2002:i:1:p:87-103
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1012268030232
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    Cited by:

    1. Akbar Ullah & Ejaz Ghani & Attiya Y. Javed, 2013. "Market Power and Industrial Performance in Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2013:88, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    2. Eugenio Gaiotti & Alessandro Secchi, 2004. "Is there a cost channel of monetary policy transmission? An investigation into the pricing behaviour of 2,000 firms," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 525, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. Tommaso Ciarli & André Lorentz & Marco Valente & Maria Savona, 2019. "Structural changes and growth regimes," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 119-176, March.
    4. Jérôme Henry & Pablo Hernández de Cos & Sandro Momigliano, 2004. "The short-term impact of government budgets on prices: evidence from macroeconometrics models," Working Papers 0418, Banco de España.
    5. André Lorentz & Tommaso Ciarli & Maria Savona & Marco Valente, 2016. "The effect of demand-driven structural transformations on growth and technological change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 219-246, March.
    6. Santos, Diogo Oliveira & Britto, Gustavo & Ribeiro, Rafael S.M. & Cardoso, Debora Freire, 2023. "Do wages squeeze markups? Sectoral-level evidence for Brazil, 2000–2013," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 52-66.
    7. Christopher J. Nekarda & Valerie A. Ramey, 2020. "The Cyclical Behavior of the Price‐Cost Markup," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(S2), pages 319-353, December.
    8. Shibayama Katsuyuki & Chadha Jagjit S., 2014. "Inventories and the stockout constraint in general equilibrium," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 1-48, January.
    9. Tommaso Ciarli & Andre' Lorentz & Maria Savona & Marco Valente, 2012. "The role of technology, organisation, and demand in growth and income distribution," LEM Papers Series 2012/06, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    10. Matteo Bugamelli & Silvia Fabiani & Enrico Sette, 2010. "The pro-competitive effect of imports from China: an analysis of firm-level price data," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 737, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Salman Ahmad & Attiya Yasmin Javid, 2015. "Analysing the Price Cost Markup and Its Behaviour over the Business Cycles in Case of Manufacturing Industries of Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2015:117, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    12. Neubecker, Leslie, 2005. "Collusion and cyclic pricing by managers in markets with fluctuating demand," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 164-169, August.
    13. Jonathan L. Willis, 2003. "Implications of structural changes in the U.S. economy for pricing behavior and inflation dynamics," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, vol. 88(Q I), pages 5-27.
    14. Danny Leung, 2008. "Markups in Canada: Have They Changed and Why?," Staff Working Papers 08-7, Bank of Canada.
    15. Winther, K. Tobias, 2008. "Analyzing new profit opportunities: a guide to making business projects financially successful," MPRA Paper 11346, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Henry, Jerome & Hernandez de Cos, Pablo & Momigliano, Sandro, 2008. "The impact of government budgets on prices: Evidence from macroeconometric models," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 123-143.
    17. Jan Hagemejer & Michal Gradzewicz, 2007. "Impact of competition and business cycles on the behaviour of monopolistic markups in the Polish economy," EcoMod2007 23900034, EcoMod.
    18. Matteo Bugamelli & Silvia Fabiani & Enrico Sette, 2015. "The Age of the Dragon: The Effect of Imports from China on Firm‐Level Prices," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(6), pages 1091-1118, September.
    19. Carla Massidda, 2005. "Estimating the New Keynesian Phillips Curve for Italian Manufacturing Sectors," Working Papers 2005.12, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    20. Ciarli, Tommaso & Valente, Marco, 2016. "The complex interactions between economic growth and market concentration in a model of structural change," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 38-54.
    21. Hyungsuk Lee & Junsang Lee, 2024. "Accounting for the Effects of Fiscal Policy Shocks on Exchange Rates through Markup Dynamics," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, pages 1-17.
    22. Fernandez, Leon & Pagliacci, Carolina, 2016. "The markup and aggregate fluctuations in Venezuela. Testing distributional shocks," MPRA Paper 106538, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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