Bush, Clinton, Bush: Twenty Years of Merger Enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission

Coate, Malcolm

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1314924

Abstract

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Bush, Clinton, Bush: Twenty Years of Merger Enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission

Malcolm B. Coate

U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

September 29, 2009

Abstract:
The Hart Scott Rodino program, coupled with the modern Merger Guidelines, has structured merger enforcement for the last twenty years. This paper tabulates and evaluates information from Federal Trade Commission merger reviews. While horizontal mergers predominate, vertical, potential competition and monopsony cases are represented in the sample. Over the years, the Commission has studied mergers in a broad range of industries, including branded consumer products, chemicals, hospitals, drugs, oil, and retailing. Some evolution in the theories of concern actually used is observed, along with changes in the efficiency reviews. A statistical model identifies the factors that drive the enforcement process.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Keywords: Merger Policy, Federal Trade Commission, unilateral effects, collusion

JEL Classification: K21, L40

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Date posted: December 12, 2008 ; Last revised: October 2, 2009

Suggested Citation

Coate, Malcolm B., Bush, Clinton, Bush: Twenty Years of Merger Enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission (September 29, 2009). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1314924 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1314924

Contact Information

Malcolm B. Coate (Contact Author)

U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ( email )

601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
United States