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Cost Efficiencies and Upward Pricing Pressure

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica Dutra

    (Department of Economics, The University of Kansas)

  • Tarun Sabarwal

    (Department of Economics, University of Kansas)

Abstract
We investigate the accuracy of UPP as a tool in antitrust analysis when there are cost efficiencies from a horizontal merger. We include model-based, merger-specific cost efficiencies in a tractable manner and extend the standard UPP formulation to account for these efficiencies. The efficacy of the new UPP formulations is analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation of 40,000 mergers (8 scenarios, 5,000 mergers in each scenario). We find that the new UPP formulations yield substantial gains in prediction of post-merger prices, as compared to existing practice, and there are substantial gains in merger screening accuracy as well. Moreover, the new UPP formulations outperform the standard UPP formulation at higher thresholds for all the standard cases in the paper. The results support the inclusion of model-based cost efficiencies in the standard UPP formulation for more accurate antitrust decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Dutra & Tarun Sabarwal, 2018. "Cost Efficiencies and Upward Pricing Pressure," WORKING PAPERS SERIES IN THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS 201901, University of Kansas, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:kan:wpaper:201901
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    File URL: http://www2.ku.edu/~kuwpaper/2019Papers/201901.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    upward pricing pressure; merger efficiency; monte carlo; UPP; mergers; antitrust; unilateral effects; cost efficiencies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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