From Segmented Markets to Integrated Markets: an Analysis of Economic Integration and Antidumping Legislation

The paper examines how a movement from segmented markets to integrated markets affects the volume of trade, consumer prices, profits and welfare in a monopoly model. The monopolist can initially discriminate consumer prices among markets with trade costs but has to take arbitrage into account as economic integration proceeds. The analysis provides interesting insights into economic integration and antidumping law. It is shown that the extent of arbitrage and the shape of the marginal cost curve play crucial roles. Surprisingly, it is possible that neither consumers nor the monopolist gains from economic integration, and that antidumping legislation benefits consumers at the expense of producers.