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Acces pricing and entry in the postal sector

Author

Listed:
  • Francis Bloch

    (X-DEP-ECO - Département d'Économie de l'École Polytechnique - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris)

  • A. Gautier

    (CORE - Center of Operation Research and Econometrics [Louvain] - UCL - Université Catholique de Louvain = Catholic University of Louvain)

Abstract

Postal markets have been open to competition for a long time. But, with a few exceptions, the competitors of the incumbent postal operator are active on the upstream segments of the market-preparation, collection, outward sorting and transport of mail products. With the further steps planned in the liberalization process, there are new opportunities to extend competition to the downstream segments of the market - the delivery of mails. In the future, two business models will be possible for the new postal operators: access: where the firm performs the upstream operations and uses the incumbent's delivery network and bypass where the competing firm controls the entire supply chain and delivers mails with its own delivery network. These two options have different impacts on welfare and the profit of the incumbent operator. The choice between access and bypass depends on the entrant's delivery cost relative to the cost of buying access to the incumbent operator (the access price). In this paper, we derive optimal - welfare maximizing - stamp and access prices for the incumbent operator when these prices have an impact on the delivery method chosen by the entrant. We show how prices should be re-balanced when the entry method is considered as endogenous i.e. affected by the incumbent's prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis Bloch & A. Gautier, 2008. "Acces pricing and entry in the postal sector," Post-Print hal-00361691, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00361691
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    Cited by:

    1. Keizo Mizuno & Ichiro Yoshino, 2015. "Overusing a bypass under cost-based access regulation: underinvestment with spillovers," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 29-57, February.
    2. Francis Bloch & Axel Gautier, 2017. "Strategic bypass deterrence," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 189-210, October.
    3. DAM, Kaniska & GAUTIER, Axel & MITRA, Manipushpak, 2007. "Efficient access pricing and endogenous market structure," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2007004, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    4. Gautier Axel & Paolini Dimitri, 2011. "Universal Service Financing in Competitive Postal Markets: One Size Does Not Fit All," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(3), pages 1-30, September.
    5. Kevin M. Currier, 2012. "Optimal pricing of postal services under endogenously determined entry," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(4), pages 3503-3511.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L87 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Postal and Delivery Services

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