当代自然垄断理论研究发展述评

自然垄断理论经历了从传统到当代的发展,尤其是随着规模经济、范围经济和成本劣加性概念的逐步完善,自然垄断的经济学解释日趋成熟。近年来,国内学者基于网络经济概念提出了自然垄断的创新理论。基于网络经济效益概念的创新理论存在明显不足。自然垄断理论的发展和创新不应局限在规模经济的单一研究范式当中,而应从"不可竞争性"的自然垄断的传统认识中汲取思想。     

自然垄断理论最新发展述评

自然垄断理论经历了从传统到当代的发展,尤其是20世纪70年代之后随着规模经济、范围经济和成本劣加性概念的逐步完善,自然垄断的经济学解释也在日趋成熟。近几年,国内学者则基于网络经济概念提出了自然垄断的创新理论。该文在总结自然垄断理论的传统演变和创新发展的基础上,指出了基于网络经济效益概念的创新理论存在的明显不足,同时提出了回归自然垄断传统思想的观点。     

自然垄断行业规制的理论与改革

一、自然垄断行业规制的理论基础自然垄断是经济学中的一个传统概念。传统自然垄断理论将规模经济性作为判断自然垄断的根据。一般认为“所谓自然垄断,是指只要一家公司生产的全部产品的平均价格小于两家或两家以上的公司提供等量产品的平均之和,该行业便具有自然垄断性”。当一个产业的规模经济或广度经济相当强,以至只有一个厂商能够生存下来时,就会产生自然垄断。规模经济或广度经济所带来的成本劣加性使自然垄断获得了存在的理由。由于维持垄断可在技术经济上达到更高效率的结构因素,所以要通过参加规制来形成和维持垄断,通过价格规制和…     

自然垄断理论述评

自然垄断理论演进过程经历了萌芽阶段、早期阶段、现代阶段和当代最新进展 4个阶段 ,其理论基础依次是自然条件决定论、规模经济和成本劣加性。当前自然垄断理论在理论上存在过于抽象化、缺乏动态性、片面追求产出成本最低等不足之处 ;在实践上存在操作性和解释力不强等缺陷 ,“在既定的条件下 ,只有一套自然垄断设施是最优的 (社会福利最大化 )”仍然是新自然垄断理论的本质特点 ,但“自然垄断设施”未必只能由一个企业拥有和运营 ,完全可以由多个企业共同拥有和运营 ,也可以由多个企业分别部分拥有和运营     

自然垄断行业所有制改革研究

传统自然垄断理论建立在规模经济概念之上，现代观点则用范围经济和成本弱增性定义自然垄断。自然垄断行业的所有结构是一定历史阶段的产物，随国家经济发展阶段、执政党的政治哲学、国内资源禀赋等状况的变化而变化。自然垄断行业所有制改革的根本目的在于提高效率。民营化有助于有效竞争的实现，从而有助于提高自然垄断行业的效率。但民营化并不意味着政府对自然垄断产业作用的降低，应对自然垄断行业的服务安排与服务生产加以区分。     

自然垄断理论的批判与创新--李怀新作《自然垄断理论研究》

长期以来,依据现有的自然垄断理论及其政策运营的各国自然垄断产业,普遍存在着质次价高和严重亏损的问题,消费者不仅没能享受到自然垄断本应带来的规模经济、范围经济和成本劣加性的好处,反而身受质次价高等垄断弊端之苦;而政府不仅增加了大量的管制成本,还不得不承担巨额的企业亏损.自20世纪70年代以来,自然垄断产业的改革浪潮已从西方发达国家逐渐涌向全世界,自然垄断领域里的传统观念已被打破,一些自然垄断产业放松管制,引入竞争,在一定程度上改变了以往自然垄断产业质次价高和严重亏损的局面.     

自然垄断行业管制的国际比较

一、对自然垄断的最新阐释 自然垄断是经济学中的一个传统概念。早期的自然垄断概念与资源的集中条件有关,主要是指由于资源条件的分布集中而无法竞争或不适宜竞争所形成的垄断。现代观点则认为,传统观点对自然垄断的认识不够全面,对自然垄断的恰当定义必须建立在成本弱增性(subadditivity)而不仅仅是规模经济的基础上。也就是说,即使规模经济不存在,或即使平均成本上升,但只要单一企业供应整个市场的成本小于多个企业分别生产的成本之和,由单个企业垄断市场的社会成本最小,该行业就仍然是自然垄断行业。     

管制范围的经济分析——基于自然垄断性维度的思考

经济学理论认为自然垄断性是政府管制的重要原因，从新制度经济学角度上看，规模经济和资产专用性才是自然垄断性的深层次原因。而现代经济学理论进一步发展了自然垄断性的概念，认为自然垄断性的决定因素是成本弱增性，从而改变了对自然垄断边界的认识，同时也带来了对管制范围和管制方式认识上的变化。     

深化我国电力行业改革的对策及其理论依据

“成本劣加性”及“可竞争市场”等自然垄断理论的新发展使得对自然垄断的认识不断深化。同时，随着技术的不断发展、供求的不断变化、产业融合的扩大和深化，现在普遍认为真正整体具备自然垄断性质的行业越来越少。一些原来被认作具有自然垄断性的行业现在往往也只被认为在其网络环节才具有自然垄断性。电力行业只有输配电环节(电网)具有自然垄断性，     

管制范围的经济分析——基于自然垄断性维度的思考

经济学理论认为自然垄断性是政府管制的重要原因,从新制度经济学角度上看,规模经济和资产专用性才是自然垄断性的深层次原因。而现代经济学理论进一步发展了自然垄断性的概念,认为自然垄断性的决定因素是成本弱增性,从而改变了对自然垄断边界的认识,同时也带来了对管制范围和管制方式认识上的变化。     

SCALE ECONOMIES IN MULTIPRODUCT FIRMS

As normally employed, multioutput cost functions impose a bias against a finding of economies of scale, because a firm's optimal expansion path generally does not entail constant proportions over the various outputs. This bias can be overcome using a cost function defined in terms of a scalar aggregate output. An empirical example using New York commercial banks bears out the argument. As a sidelight, it is also argued that the traditional concept of scale economies is appropriate for policy purposes even when it conflicts with the more recently developed condition of natural monopoly (subadditivity of the cost function).     

The Cost Structure of Australian Telecommunications

Since 1991 Australian telecommunications has undergone substantial reform. To a large extent, the economic correctness of pro-competitive policy depends on the non-existence of natural monopoly technology. This paper provides estimates of the Australian telecommunications system cost structure, and tests for subadditivity from 1943 to 1991. Additivity of the cost function after 1945 rejects the natural monopoly hypothesis and supports recent government policy. Diminished natural monopoly characteristics suggest that co-ordination between firms through networking can achieve similar economies as internal co-ordination within a monopoly. This finding is important, given the trend towards network unbundling, and service provision through interconnection.     

Economics of scale and scope in multiproduct firms: evidence from US railroads

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in analysing scale economies in US railroad firms. The analysis of scale economies in existing studies is, however, limited in view of recent advances in the theory of the multiproduct firm. In this paper, the previous work is extended to address the issue of scale and scope economies in multiproduct firms. The findings show that US railroads experience mild overall economies of scale, but rather marked product-specific economies of scale with respect to both freight and passenger services. However, there appear to be diseconomies of scope associated with the joint production of the two services. Based on these results, this study indicates that US railroad firms would have no tendency to behave as a natural monopoly in the absence of regulation.     

Is big better? On scale and scope economies in the Portuguese water sector

The ‘big is better’ idea has recently been challenged in network industries. Scale economies are considered finite so that for the individual utility an optimal scale of operations arises. A similar observation yields for scope economies as joint production is not predicted univocally anymore. In the water sector, scale economies and joint production are preferred. Nevertheless, several countries are restructuring the sector in order to improve the scale and scope of operations. This article intends to provide some insights into this matter. We analyze the Portuguese water market structure using non-parametric techniques with data from the year 2005. After surveying the literature on scale and scope economies, we discuss the peculiarities of the Portuguese water sector. The paper confirms the natural monopoly features. Although scope economies are absent, it highlights scale economies. The optimal scale of the utilities is located between 160,000 and 180,000 inhabitants. As such, the Portuguese water sector optimally counts 60 water utilities.     

Nonlinear mean-reversion to purchasing power parity: exponential smooth transition autoregressive models and stochastic unit root processes

The purpose of this paper is to show an empirical test of subadditivity based on a sufficient condition-namely, transray convexity coupled with global economies of scale-which has not been commonly used in the literature. We use this sufficient condition to test the hypothesis of subadditivity of the cost function in the largest Portuguese Telecommunications firm, CTT, and find that the market for telecommunications services in Portugal was a natural monopoly in the period analysed.     

A Fourier analysis of the US dairy industry

Measurement of economies of scale and scope is particularly important for predicting growth and product diversification. However, estimates are useful only to the extent the underlying production technology is modelled accurately. This study measures economies of scale and scope in the rapidly changing US dairy industry with a Fourier flexible cost function, which provides a global approximation of the unknown function. We use the high quality national Agricultural and Resource Management Survey (ARMS) survey data. We find economies of scale at most firm sizes and persistent economies of scope across firm sizes in this industry, which is counter to estimates from two Diewert‐flexible functional forms.     

ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND SCOPE IN POSTAL OUTLETS UNDER CONSIDERATION OF UNOBSERVED HETEROGENEITY

ABSTRACT: We analyze economies of scale and scope in Swiss Post's post offices and franchised postal agencies under consideration of different underlying production technologies and unobserved factors using a latent class model. The results confirm the existence of unobserved heterogeneity and of increasing economies of scale and scope in the Swiss Post's outlet network.     

Economies of scale and scope in the European banking sector

In this article, using the data of 2008, we try to describe the impact of scale and product differentiation in 282 European banks. While evidence of the economies of scale is less clear, the results obtained using a translogarithmic function system show that significant economies of scope do exist even for new banking products like derivatives.

Do Geographic Scale Economies Explain Disturbances to Heckscher–Ohlin Trade?

This paper examines whether "geographic scale economies" explain the trade that remains unexplained by the Heckscher–Ohlin model. The paper develops a theoretical specification that integrates geographic scale economies into the Heckscher–Ohlin model, and develops a statistical method for detecting geographic scale economies in the distributional features of a disturbance term. The units of analysis are US states. The findings reveal that empirical support for the Heckscher–Ohlin theory is improved by accounting for geographic scale economies within states; geographic scale economies do not generate differences in Rybczynski effects across states; and the scope of geographic scale economies is contained within states.