Product quality and competition: evidence from the broadband industry

Access to high-quality broadband internet is important in many different respects such as in communication, education, commerce and information acquisition. We investigate the relationship between the number of broadband providers in an area and the quality of broadband service provided where download speed is used as a proxy for quality. We find that increased competition in an area positively affects the access to fast download speeds. This finding is robust to three different top download speeds tested. Additionally, a theoretical model is provided which shows that competition can decrease the profits associated with offering slow speeds; this gives an incentive for providers to offer higher speeds as a way to increase profits.     

Entrepreneurial overconfidence and firm survival: an analysis using the Kauffman firm survey

We used the Kauffman Firm Survey of ventures founded in the year 2004 to identify overconfident (OC) entrepreneurs and found, contrary to the existing literature, that the hazard ratio for these entrepreneurs was lower than the corresponding value for their non-OC peers. We categorized an entrepreneur as OC if he or she believed that his or her firm enjoys a competitive advantage over its industry peers, while simultaneously underperforming relative to the industry in terms of average initial ROA. Specifically, we looked at the average ROA during the years 2004–2007 and compared it to the industry median. In addition to our hazard findings, we discovered that these OC entrepreneurs, while starting with lower initial ROA levels relative to their industry peers, may have enjoyed slightly better movement in ROA over the intervening years. Our results are explained in the context of the psychological literature on optimism.     

Entry,growth, and survival: The new learning on firm selection and industry evolution

This paper tries to shed some light on the seeming paradox posed by the findings in the industrial organization literature that (1) the bulk of firms in an industry are not only very small, but also sufficiently small so that they are operating at a sub-optimal scale of output, and (2) entrepreneurs are apparently not deterred from starting new firms even in industries where scale economies play an important role. A dynamic view of the process of firm selection and industry evolution is that new firms typically start at a very smal scale of output. Because this level of output may be sub-optimal, the firm must grow in order to survive. The empirical evidence supports such a dynamic view of the evolutionary nature of industries. Viewed through a dynamic lens, the often-observed asymmetric size distribution of firms becomes more understandable. The persistence of an asymmetric firm-size distribution skewed towards small enterprises presumably reflects a continuing process of entry into industries and not necessarily the survival of such small and suboptimal enterprises over a long period of time.     

Specialization,product development,evolution of the institution of the firm,and economic growth

This paper considers the effects of the division of labor on economic growth and welfare in a general equilibrium environment where changes in individual specialization and product development can proceed simultaneously. The nature of the dynamic equilibrium is shown to depend on the interaction of transaction efficiency, economies of specialization, and economies of complementarity. Where the dynamic equilibrium involves evolution in the division of labor, this will be associated with increased per capita real income and hence economic growth. It is also shown that the emergence of firms is an aspect of the evolution of division of labor if transaction efficiency for a producer good is lower than that for labor used to produce this good.     

Product market deregulation and the US employment miracle

We consider the dynamic relationship between product market entry regulation and equilibrium unemployment. The main theoretical contribution is combining a job matching model with monopolistic competition in the goods market and individual bargaining. We calibrate the model to US data and perform a policy experiment to assess whether the decrease in trend unemployment during the 1980s and 1990s could be directly attributed to product market deregulation. Under our baseline calibration, our results suggest that a decrease of less than two-tenths of a percentage point of unemployment rates can be attributed to product market deregulation, a surprisingly small amount.     

跨国公司的市场行为:从垄断到竞争--以汽车工业为例

20世纪90年代中期前,一些外商投资企业垄断了中国同行业市场。之后由于国内同类竞争者的形成、多家跨国公司进入、进口商品大量增加等因素的影响,跨国公司对中国市场结构的影响开始向竞争性转变。这种转变给我们的启示是:跨国公司对东道国市场结构的影响不能纯粹的界定为垄断性或竞争性;引进外资时,不必担忧跨国公司在市场上会长期处于优势地位,他们对国内企业具有带动作用。     

Upstream regulation in mature network industry: evidence from Nordic mobile telecommunications markets

This article investigates the effects of upstream regulation that aims to create niches and attract new type of entrants on the competitive environment of downstream markets. Using unique cross-country data of Nordic mobile telecommunications markets, we show that upstream regulation leads to (i) increases in both number and aggregate market share of service-based providers in the downstream market, (ii) an increase in the number of service-based providers, thus increasing their aggregate market share, but no opposite direction of results and (iii) a lower retail price level, proxied by average revenue per user. Our findings imply that upstream regulation may be able to achieve better outcomes when the policy objectives are to revitalize mature network industries and to enhance consumer welfare.     

Owner-managers and firm performance during the asian and global financial crises: evidence from Korea

We examine the performance of the Korean owner-managers during the 1997?1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2008?2009 global financial crisis to establish whether they overcome the unexpected exterior shocks better than employed managers. We find that the owner-managers record a significantly greater performance during the crises, and especially during the latter period. Moreover, our results suggest that such a tendency comes from the owner-managers’ superior investment decisions. Our paper thus highlights the role of owner-managers by studying their performance during the Korean economic crisis periods. (JEL G01, G32, G34)     

地方政府竞争、企业上市方式与政企间利益输送——来自中国家族企业上市公司的经验证据

中国转轨经济下的财政分权体制和政治晋升锦标赛激励地方政府官员将政策资源向有利于自身政绩的方向倾斜。文章研究发现,与买壳上市家族企业相比,直接上市家族企业获得了更多的银行贷款、政府补贴和税收优惠,但同时通过更高的资产回报、过度投资和负担更多的超额雇员服务于地方经济和社会目标。文章分析了地方政府热衷于推动新企业上市并给予大量政策扶持的原因,对于市场化进程中制定相关政策指导地方政府行为具有重要参考价值。     

中国银行业市场竞争程度及其顺周期性——以勒纳指数为衡量指标的重新考察

准确判断中国银行业市场竞争程度及其特点,对于把握中国银行业改革方向以及金融安全问题有着重要意义.文章首次以勒纳指数为衡量指标,运用新实证产业组织理论对中国银行业1994-2006年市场竞争程度进行研究.结果表明:中国银行业在1994年到亚洲金融危机前处于高度竞争状态,危机后到入世前市场竞争程度下降,入世后市场竞争程度有显著加强.市场竞争程度存在明显的顺经济周期特点,中国应密切关注银行信贷竞争的顺周期性以确保宏观经济的稳定运行.     

贸易开放、不完全竞争与成本加成——基于中国制造业数据的实证分析

文章利用中国制造行业的面板数据,分析贸易开放对我国国内行业成本加成的影响。回归结果表明,市场竞争与国际贸易是影响我国制造行业成本加成的重要因素。进口贸易在高竞争性行业对成本加成具有正向的促进效应,而在低竞争性行业具有相反的效应;出口贸易对国内行业的成本加成具有显著的正向促进效应。     

Competitive strategies,innovation, and firm performance: an empirical study in a developing economy environment

This paper studies the relationships between competitive strategies, innovation, and firm performance within the context of Turkish manufacturing companies. The data were collected from top management of the firms via Computer Assistant Telephone Interviewing method. One hundred and forty manufacturing firms operating in various sectors including textile, automotive supply, computer and electronics provide the basis for this empirical research. In order to test our model, we employ structural equation modelling using partial least squares. The results show that competitive strategies such as cost-leadership and differentiation can lead to innovation, which, in turn, increase firm performance. Managers implement cost-leadership and differentiation strategies to take part in competitive market conditions; however, they should put additional importance on innovation that plays a significant role as a bridge between competitive strategies and firm performance.     

市场竞争与外商直接投资技术转移--来自中国制造业的证据

目前对技术溢出的研究较少关注"溢出源",尤其是基于市场竞争视角和中国背景的经验研究.文章首先讨论了Wang-Blomstrom假说,进而借助"市场结构-技术创新"关系的研究成果提出"市场竞争-外资技术引进"关系的有关假说,并探讨了异于常规的、面向外资企业的"竞争"的定义和度量,最后基于中国制造业面板数据进行实证检验.实证检验结果表明,外资企业在东道国市场面临更大竞争会促进其增加技术引进,对于发展中东道国,需要具有一定规模和优势的企业而不是接近完全竞争的市场结构,才能提高外资企业面临的竞争程度.     

Market forces and competition in university systems: theoretical reflections and empirical evidence from Italy

This paper deals with the reforming processes in higher education (HE) from centralised systems towards more competitive ones. In particular, I discuss these issues referring to the Italian case, and the market‐like mechanisms introduced in it during 1990s and early 2000s. The focus of the paper is in analysing the effects of the increasing competition on teaching performance of universities. For this purpose, I develop a theoretical model, moving from the framework of yardstick competition (YC), to describe the functioning of a competition model based on comparing performance of institutions. Then, I apply this model using data from the Italian university system. The results suggest that an increasingly competitive environment effectively improves the universities’ performance, which is also influenced by other factors, namely the characteristics of the institutions themselves and of their students, and by the resources available. As the exploratory nature of the study, these findings must be validated through future research.     

保险市场竞争程度与市场结构的关系研究

本文运用H统计量研究我国财寿险市场的竞争程度,并进一步通过回归分析与相关分析研究竞争程度与市场结构的交互影响因素.研究结果表明,1999-2006年间我国的财险市场可以判断为垄断竞争的市场结构,而同期我国寿险市场则属于寡头垄断的市场结构.2003年保险业费率市场化的改革对财险和寿险都有明显的影响,直接加剧了竞争程度.竞争度与财险市场公司数量正相关,与寿险市场公司数量负相关.竞争度与集中度的关系在财险业为负相关,而在寿险业根据采用不同的集中度指标的不同考察结果会有所不同.     

Deregulation and the determinants of network access: evidence from the German interurban bus industry

We investigate the characteristics of cities gaining access to the German interurban bus network in the first two years following the deregulation of the industry in January 2013. Applying both parametric and semi-parametric survival models, we find strong evidence that the probability of a city to be added to a provider’s network increases not only with the mere size of its population but also with further demographic characteristics such as average income or the share of young and old inhabitants. Additionally, while an increasing importance of tourism has a further positive effect, a rising automobile density is imposing a significantly negative impact on the probability of a city to gain access to the network.     

组织分权、市场竞争与企业过度投资--基于上市公司合并报表与母公司报表的实证考察

近年来随着政府扩大内需政策出台,许多企业都进行了大规模投资,有些过度投资行为造成严重产能过剩和极大浪费,甚至引起经济过热。本文以我国A股1500家上市公司为研究样本,实证考察了组织分权、市场竞争与企业过度投资的关系。研究发现,组织分权模式下,分权程度越高、子公司自由现金流越充足的企业越容易发生过度投资,并由此得出组织分权与过度投资呈正相关性。进一步,本文发现市场竞争程度可以缓解组织分权对企业投资效率的影响。     

Flexible recession: the temporary staffing industry and mediated work in the United States

The evolution of the temporary staffing industry (TSI) in theUS is examined, with particular reference to the structuralfunctions of temporary work during the boom of the 1990s, the‘flexible’ recession of 2001, and the subsequent‘jobless’ recovery. It is argued that the TSI isincreasingly playing a systemic, macroregulatory role in theUS labour market, where it now accounts for a disproportionateshare of the costs of labour-market adjustment. The developmentpath of the TSI is closely intertwined with the wider restructuringof the US economy, where it has assumed a significant presenceas a purveyor of low-cost, flexibly mediated labour.     

负债融资、财务杠杆和产品市场竞争关系实证研究

在指出负债融资产生财务杠杆效应的同时,又会导致企业产品市场竞争的压力,企业应该在财务杠杆效应和产品的市场竞争之间权衡才能确定合理的负债比例。在此基础上,选取了沪、深两地上市的117个公司作为研究对象,研究结果表明：中国上市公司财务杠杆效用应用不够合理,并针对性地提出对策。     

市场份额、负债融资与企业价值——基于中国房地产上市公司的实证研究

利用2008—2015年中国沪深A股房地产上市企业的数据,实证分析了负债融资和市场份额对企业价值的影响。结果显示:市场份额与负债水平正相关,两者之间存在显著的替代关系;从市场份额的角度看,负债水平能提升企业价值,且负债水平与企业价值的关系曲线呈U型;销售预期对企业价值具有调节作用,且高销售预期下这种调节作用更为明显。