Increasing Market Power and Merger Control
Competition Law & Policy Debate, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 26-35, 2019
16 Pages Posted: 14 Jun 2019 Last revised: 16 Jun 2019
Date Written: May 14, 2019
Abstract
A significant body of empirical research has documented a structural increase in margins across a wide range of industries and countries. This article analyses the potential implications of this trend for merger control. We argue that structural increases in firms’ pricing power call for a pro-active assessment of potential competition cases and increased vigilance when reviewing horizontal concentrations more generally.
Keywords: increasing market power, merger control, potential competition
JEL Classification: K21, L41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation