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Buying to Sell: Private Equity Buyouts and Industrial Restructuring

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  • Pehr-Johan Norbäck
  • Lars Persson
  • Joacim Tag

Abstract

We show how temporary ownership by private equity firms affects industry structure, competition and welfare. Temporary ownership leads to strong investment incentives because equilibrium resale prices are determined by buyers incentives to block rivals from obtaining assets. These incentives benefit consumers, but harm rivals in the industry. Evaluating optimal antitrust policy, we underscore that an active private equity market can aid antitrust authorities by triggering welfare-enhancing mergers and by preventing concentration in the industry. By spreading the cost of specializing in restructuring over multiple markets, private equity firms have stronger incentives than incumbents to invest in acquiring specialized restructuring skills.

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  • Pehr-Johan Norbäck & Lars Persson & Joacim Tag, 2013. "Buying to Sell: Private Equity Buyouts and Industrial Restructuring," CESifo Working Paper Series 4338, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4338
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    Cited by:

    1. Baziki, Selva Bahar & Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Persson, Lars & Tåg, Joacim, 2017. "Cross-border acquisitions and restructuring: Multinational enterprises and private equity-firms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 166-184.
    2. Magnus Henrekson & Tino Sanandaji, 2018. "Stock option taxation and venture capital activity: a cross-country study," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 51-71, January.
    3. Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Persson, Lars & Tåg, Joacim, 2018. "Does the debt tax shield distort ownership efficiency?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 299-310.
    4. Persson, Lars & Norbäck, Pehr-Johan & Tåg, Joacim, 2013. "Acquisitions, Entry, and Innovation in Network Industries," CEPR Discussion Papers 9585, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    antitrust; competition policy; leveraged buyouts; mergers and acquisitions; private equity; temporary ownership;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • 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
    • L40 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - General

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