Do Large, Diversified Banking Organizations Have Competitive Advantages?

The issue of whether large, geographically diversifiedbanking organizations (LDBs) have net competitiveadvantages, over smaller banks, that benefit retailcustomers in individual local markets has importantimplications for antitrust policy and the viability ofsmaller banks. If LDBs possess net advantages, thenlarge banks may be considered an extra-competitiveforce in the antitrust analysis of proposed bankmergers and the future viability of small banks mightbe doubtful. The results of this paper, however, donot support the view that LDBs have net competitiveadvantages. LDBs generally had difficultymaintaining, much less increasing, their depositshares from 1990 to 1996 in markets in which they madeno acquisitions. The analysis also indicates thatmarket share changes experienced by LDBs vary with anumber of LDB and market characteristics.     

Economic Sociology vs. Real Life: The Case of Grocery Shopping

Economic sociology improves on neoclassical economics but underanalyzes the economic activity of the consumer, leaving the assumption of consumer sovereignty unchallenged. We believe economic sociology marginalizes consumer activity because it is written from the standpoint of privileged men. Using institutional ethnography, we examine economic activity beginning from a standpoint of the person who grocery shops for a family. Starting from this standpoint exposes the gendered character of both the economy and economic sociology's conventional approach to analyzing it.