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Markups and Concentration in South African Manufacturing Sectors: An Analysis with Administrative Data

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  • Johannes Fedderke
  • Nonso Obikili
  • Nicola Viegi

Abstract

This paper uses newly available firm‐level tax data to evaluate the market structure in South African manufacturing sectors in the period 2010‐2012. To describe the market structure, we compute markups for South African manufacturing firms and concentration indexes for 4‐digit manufacturing sectors. We find both significant markups and significant concentration across most sectors. We compare computed markups and concentration with early estimates in South Africa and with other international benchmark countries. We then examine the market structure based on the concentration, firms size and entry and exit dynamics to rule out some potential explanations for relatively high markups. We find that the relationships are not monotonic and point to the importance of specific barriers to entry in explaining the relationship between these three characteristics.

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  • Johannes Fedderke & Nonso Obikili & Nicola Viegi, 2018. "Markups and Concentration in South African Manufacturing Sectors: An Analysis with Administrative Data," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(S1), pages 120-140, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:sajeco:v:86:y:2018:i:s1:p:120-140
    DOI: 10.1111/saje.12175
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    1. D.F. Leach, 1992. "Absolute vs. Relative Concentration in Manufacturing Industry, 1972–1985," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 60(4), pages 229-238, December.
    2. Fedderke, Johannes W. & Hill, Andrew J., 2011. "Industry structure and labor market flexibility in the South African manufacturing sector: A time series and panel data approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 1291-1302, May.
    3. Johannes Fedderke & Chandana Kularatne & Martine Mariotti, 2007. "Mark-up Pricing in South African Industry," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 16(1), pages 28-69, January.
    4. Johannes Fedderke & Dietmar Naumann, 2011. "An analysis of industry concentration in South African manufacturing, 1972-2001," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(22), pages 2919-2939.
    5. Fedderke, Johannes & Szalontai, Gábor, 2009. "Industry concentration in South African manufacturing industry: Trends and consequences, 1972-96," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 241-250, January.
    6. P. G. Du Plessis, 1978. "Concentration of Economic Power in the South African Manufacturing Industry," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 46(3), pages 172-182, September.
    7. Stan du Plessis & Nico Katzke & Evan Gilbert & Chris Hart, 2015. "Mark-ups and competition: a comparison of the profitability of listed South African industrial companies," Working Papers 02/2015, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
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    1. Chortareas, Georgios & Noikokyris, Emmanouil & Rakeeb, Fathima Roshan, 2021. "Investment, firm-specific uncertainty, and market power in South Africa," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 389-395.
    2. Haroon Bhorat & Morné Oosthuizen & Kezia Lilenstein & François Steenkamp, 2017. "Firm-level determinants of earnings in the formal sector of the South African labour market," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-25, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Christopher Loewald & David Faulkner & Konstantin Makrelov, 2020. "Time consistency and economic growth a case study of south african macroeconomic policy," Working Papers 10421, South African Reserve Bank.
    4. Weche John P. & Wagner Joachim, 2021. "Markups and Concentration in the Context of Digitization: Evidence from German Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 241(5-6), pages 667-699, November.
    5. Bassier, Ihsaan, 2022. "Firms and inequality when unemployment is high," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121970, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Channing Arndt, 2018. "New Data, New Approaches and New Evidence: A Policy Synthesis," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(S1), pages 167-178, January.
    7. Joshua Budlender, 2019. "Markups and market structure in South Africa: What can be learnt from new administrative data?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-58, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Johannes Fedderke & Yang Liu, 2018. "Inflation in South Africa: An Assessment of Alternative Inflation Models," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(2), pages 197-230, June.
    9. Bassier, Ihsaan, 2022. "Firms and inequality when unemployment is high," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117999, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Edwards Lawrence & Hlatshwayo Ayanda, 2020. "Exchange rates and firm export performance in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp2020-1, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Ihsaan Bassier, 2019. "The wage-setting power of firms: Rent-sharing and monopsony in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-34, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    12. Fedderke, Johannes W., 2018. "Exploring unbalanced growth: Understanding the sectoral structure of the South African economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 177-189.
    13. Channing Arndt, 2018. "New Data, New Approaches and New Evidence: A Policy Synthesis," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(S1), pages 167-178, January.
    14. Ihsaan Bassier, 2022. "Firms and inequality when unemployment is high," CEP Discussion Papers dp1872, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    15. Lawrence Edwards & Ayanda Hlatshwayo, 2020. "Exchange rates and firm export performance in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-1, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Reda Cherif & Sandesh Dhungana & Xiangming Fang & Mr. Jesus R Gonzalez-Garcia & Yuanchen Yang & Mustafa Yenice & Jung Eun Yoon, 2020. "Competition, Competitiveness and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," IMF Working Papers 2020/030, International Monetary Fund.
    17. Samuel Vika Mhlanga & Neil Andrew Rankin, 2021. "Fixed costs, markups and concentration in Eswatini (Swaziland): A firm‐level analysis of panel data," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 89(3), pages 391-416, September.

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