New Economics Papers
on Industrial Organization
Issue of 2008‒06‒07
three papers chosen by



  1. Perfect Competition in an Oligoply (including Bilateral Monopoly) By Pradeep Dubey und Dieter Sondermann
  2. Mergers, cartels and leniency programs : the role of production capacities By Emilie Dargaud
  3. Intensity of Competition and Market Structure in the Italian Banking Industry By Giannetti, C.

  1. By: Pradeep Dubey und Dieter Sondermann
    Abstract: We show that if limit orders are required to vary smoothly, then strategic (Nash) equilibria of the double auction mechanism yield competitive (Walras) allocations. It is not necessary to have competitors on any side of any market: smooth trading is a substitute for price wars. In particular, Nash equilibria are Walrasian even in a bilateral monopoly.
    Keywords: Limit orders, double auction, Nash equilibria, Walras equilibria, mechanism design
    JEL: C72 D41 D44 D61
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:bonedp:bgse9_2008&r=ind
  2. By: Emilie Dargaud (GATE, University of Lyon, CNRS, ENS-LSH, Centre Léon Bérard, France)
    Abstract: In this paper, we study the impact of a merger on collusion depending on the endowment of capital asset among firms. We show that the merger makes the collusion easier to sustain when asymmetric capital stock combines with less efficient insiders because of more symmetric conditions and closer incentive constraints. Moreover, this model allows us to determine an optimal threshold of asymmetry among insiders and outsiders such as a merger has pro-competitive effects and we compare this value with the value which would restore perfect symmetry between firms after the merger.
    Keywords: leniency programs, merger, oligopoly supergame
    JEL: K42 L11 L41
    Date: 2008
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gat:wpaper:0814&r=ind
  3. By: Giannetti, C. (Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research)
    Abstract: This work tests the predictions of Sutton?s model of independent submarkets for the Italian retail banking industry. In the first part of this paper, I develop a model of endogenous mergers to evidence the relationship between firms? conduct, market entry and market structure. In the second part, I identify the submarket dimension and estimate the relationship between market size and market structure using data on bank branches. The size of the submarkets turned out to be at most provincial whereas the limiting concentration index - as argued by Sutton for industries with exogenous sunk costs - goes to zero as the market becomes larger.
    Keywords: Concentration;Truncated Poisson and Negative Binomial models;quantile regressions
    JEL: C24 D43 L11 L89
    Date: 2008
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:kubcen:200843&r=ind

General information on the NEP project can be found at https://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the School of Economics and Finance of Massey University in New Zealand.