Market Structure, R&D and Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Recent developments in the literature on market structure have allowed the generation of a few key testable predictions from the theory of strategic behaviour. The seminal model considers one simple but general relationship, that between market structure and market size, focusing on the competitive roles of endogenous sunk costs in the form of advertising and/or research and development (R&D). Evidence presented in this case study, building on earlier econometric work, shows that such endogenous sunk costs do play a crucial role in the formation of market structure in the global pharmaceutical industry.     

Economics at the FCC 2018–2019: Competition,Broadband Deployment,and Transaction Review

Review of Industrial Organization - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is responsible for regulation in the communications marketplace and for management of the nation’s non-federal...     

Product Differentiation,Industry Concentration and Market Share Turbulence

Building on the current theory of industrial concentration, we analyze the relation between market size and product differentiation, and show how product differentiation impacts market share turbulence. We first propose that in markets where vertical product differentiation dominates, firms will have an incentive to escalate investment in advertising and/or R&D as market size increases. Secondly, such (firm‐specific) investments will make competitive advantage more sustainable as the firm is less imitable. This will not be the case if the market is primarily characterized by homogeneous products or horizontal product differentiation. Our predictions are tested using an original EU dataset for 1987 and 1997. Our results strongly support our predictions – the degree of market share turbulence increases with market size. However, this relation is weakened by competitive investment in advertising and R&D.     

European Integration and Market Structure in the Soft Drinks Industry

The focus of this paper is the impact of European integration in the soft drinks industry. It is shown that the geographic level at which competition takes place has moved from the national to the European stage. We apply the new theory of industrial structure where the essential notion is that in endogenous sunk cost industries such as soft drinks, the traditional inverse structure-size relation may break down, due to the escalation of overhead fixed expenditures. The evidence is consistent with the theory. Moreover, it is shown how the persistence of a first mover advantage may affect market concentration. Finally, and in response to exogenous structural change, significant restructuring and increased multinationality has been observed among the leading manufacturers.     

Economics at the FCC 2020–21: Closing the Connectivity Gap,COVID-19 and Telehealth,Spectrum Auctions,Communications Marketplace Report,and Economic Research

Review of Industrial Organization - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is responsible for regulation in the communications marketplace and for management of the nation’s non-federal...