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Industry Concentration and Information Technology

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  • James Bessen

Abstract

Industry concentration has been rising in the United States since 1980. Does this signal declining competition and the need for a new antitrust policy? Or are other factors causing concentration to increase? This paper explores the role of proprietary information technology (IT), which could increase the productivity of top firms relative to others and raise their market share. Instrumental variable estimates find a strong link between proprietary IT and rising industry concentration, accounting for most of its growth. Moreover, the top four firms in each industry benefit disproportionately. Large investments in proprietary software—$250 billion per year—appear to significantly impact industry structure.

Suggested Citation

  • James Bessen, 2020. "Industry Concentration and Information Technology," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(3), pages 531-555.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:doi:10.1086/708936
    DOI: 10.1086/708936
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    Cited by:

    1. Kwon, Spencer Y. & Ma, Yueran & Zimmermann, Kaspar, 2022. "100 years of rising corporate concentration," SAFE Working Paper Series 359, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    2. Erik Brynjolfsson & Wang Jin & Kristina McElheran, 2021. "The power of prediction: predictive analytics, workplace complements, and business performance," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 56(4), pages 217-239, October.
    3. Raffiee, Joseph & Teodoridis, Florenta & Fehder, Daniel, 2023. "Partisan patent examiners? Exploring the link between the political ideology of patent examiners and patent office outcomes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    4. Iain Cockburn & Megan MacGarvie & John McKeon, 2023. "Canada’s Patent Productivity Paradox: Recent Trends and Implications for Future Productivity Growth," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 45, pages 120-154, Fall.
    5. Chen, Jun & Elliott, Matthew & Koh, Andrew, 2023. "Capability accumulation and conglomeratization in the information age," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    6. repec:ptu:bdpart:r202402 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Leo Sveikauskas & Rachel Soloveichik & Corby Garner & Peter B. Meyer & James Bessen & Mathew Russell, 2023. "Marketing, Other Intangibles, and Output Growth in 61 United States Industries," BEA Papers 0122, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    8. Janssen, Aljoscha, 2022. "Innovation Begets Innovation and Concentration: The Case of Upstream Oil & Gas in the North Sea," Working Paper Series 1431, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    9. Michele Fioretti & Alessandro Iaria & Aljoscha Janssen & Robert K Perrons & Clément Mazet-Sonilhac, 2022. "Innovation Begets Innovation and Concentration: the Case of Upstream Oil & Gas in the North Sea," SciencePo Working papers hal-03791971, HAL.
    10. Luca Fontanelli, 2023. "Theories of market selection: a survey," LEM Papers Series 2023/22, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    11. Charles Hoffreumon & Chris CM Forman & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2023. "Make or Buy your Artificial Intelligence? Complementarities in Technology Sourcing," Working Papers TIMES² 2023-69, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    12. Cristiano Antonelli & Gianluca Orsatti & Guido Pialli, 2023. "The knowledge-intensive direction of technological change," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(1), pages 1-27, March.
    13. Gábor Koltay & Szabolcs Lorncz & Tommaso M. Valletti, 2022. "Concentration and Competition: Evidence from Europe and Implications for Policy," CESifo Working Paper Series 9640, CESifo.
    14. Herbert Dawid & Jasper Hepp, 2022. "Distributional effects of technological regime changes: hysteresis, concentration and inequality dynamics," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 137-167, April.
    15. Rammer, Christian & Fernández, Gastón P. & Czarnitzki, Dirk, 2022. "Artificial intelligence and industrial innovation: Evidence from German firm-level data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    16. De Ridder, Maarten, 2024. "Market power and innovation in the intangible economy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120285, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    17. N. M. Rozanova, 2021. "Methodological Issues of Modern Competition Policy," Studies on Russian Economic Development, Springer, vol. 32(5), pages 492-498, September.

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