The Merger Clearance Decision Process in New Zealand: Application of a New Two-Stage Probit Model

This paper analyses empirically the factors that influence the merger decision-making process of the New Zealand Commerce Commission using discrete-choice econometric modelling. Previous studies in various countries have typically modelled this process as involving a single step, even when a formal two-step process is actually used. We apply a new approach that treats merger decision-making as a two-step process, and compare the results with those from applications of the conventional one-step and ordered probit models. We expect the new approach to avoid biases inherent in the previous models, and therefore to produce statistically superior results.