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The Convergence of Price–cost Margins

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  • Hervé Boulhol

Abstract

This paper gives estimates of sectoral markup trends in thirteen OECD countries over the last three decades. It concludes with a slight, albeit heterogeneous, increase in price-cost margins (PCMs) overall, contrary to the generally expected effect of increased competition. More strikingly, it establishes a clear pattern of PCM convergence both across countries and sectors. This convergence means that high margins have shrunk and low margins grown. These movements seem to be linked to the decline in the labour share. They point to a need to search for factors counterbalancing the pro-competitive effect on markups
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  • Hervé Boulhol, 2008. "The Convergence of Price–cost Margins," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 221-240, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:19:y:2008:i:2:p:221-240
    DOI: 10.1007/s11079-007-9011-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Flora Bellone & Patrick Musso & Lionel Nesta & Frédéric Warzynski, 2009. "L'effet pro-concurrentiel de l'intégration européenne. Une analyse de l'évolution des taux de marge dans les industries manufacturières françaises," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 0(1), pages 139-163.
    2. Cavallari, Lilia, 2022. "The international real business cycle when demand matters," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Cavallari, Lilia & Etro, Federico, 2020. "Demand, markups and the business cycle," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    4. Gonseth, Camille & Cadot, Olivier & Mathys, Nicole A. & Thalmann, Philippe, 2015. "Energy-tax changes and competitiveness: The role of adaptive capacity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 127-135.
    5. Fabrice Defever, 2011. "Incomplete Contracts and the Impact of Globalization on Consumer Welfare," CESifo Working Paper Series 3484, CESifo.
    6. J. Stephen Ferris, 2012. "The Relationship Between Government Size and Economic Performance with Particular Application to New Zealand," Carleton Economic Papers 12-06, Carleton University, Department of Economics, revised 25 Apr 2013.
    7. Ms. Deniz O Igan & Ali Mirzaei & Tomoe Moore, 2018. "How Do Regulations of Entry and Credit Access Relate to Industry Competition? International Evidence," IMF Working Papers 2018/084, International Monetary Fund.
    8. Hervé Boulhol & Sabien Dobbelaere & Sara Maioli, 2011. "Imports as Product and Labour Market Discipline," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 49(2), pages 331-361, June.
    9. Bae-Geun Kim, 2016. "Explaining movements of the labor share in the Korean economy: factor substitution, markups and bargaining power," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 14(3), pages 327-352, September.
    10. alamro, Hassan, 2014. "تأثير السياسة المالية على التنافسية السعرية لقطاع الصناعة التحويلية الأردني [The impact of fiscal policy on the price competitiveness of the manufacturing sector of Jordan]," MPRA Paper 56286, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Khan, Hashmat & Kim, Bae-Geun, 2013. "Markups and oil prices in Canada," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 799-813.
    12. Cécile Denis & Kieran Mc Morrow & Werner Röger, 2006. "Globalisation : trends, issues and macro implications for the EU," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 254, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    13. Herve Boulhol, 2010. "Pro‐competitive Effect of Trade and Non‐decreasing Price‐Cost Margins," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(3), pages 326-356, June.
    14. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6153 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09hc03295hg is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Bae-Geun Kim, 2016. "Explaining movements of the labor share in the Korean economy: factor substitution, markups and bargaining power," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 14(3), pages 327-352, September.
    17. Tom Holden, 2012. "Medium-frequency cycles and the remarkable near trend-stationarity of output," School of Economics Discussion Papers 1412, School of Economics, University of Surrey.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Markup; Price–cost margin; Economic integration; L11; L13; L60; F12; F21; E32;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L60 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - General
    • J40 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - General
    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration

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