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Tariffs, Strategy, And Structure: Competition And Collusion In The Ontario Petroleum Industry, 1870–1880

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  • Grant, Hugh
  • Thille, Henry

Abstract

The 1858 discovery of crude oil in Ontario led to the development of a refining industry initially composed of many small firms. Ontario's refiners relied upon generous tariff protection in order to compete with cheaper, higher-quality imports. We apply a regime-switching model to the pattern of monthly wholesale prices to find the extent to which trade policy affected collusive efforts. Tariff protection encouraged collusion, but ease of entry resulted in frequent price wars. An 1877 downward revision in tariffs, while reducing the gains to collusion, also reduced the likelihood of entry and supported efforts to rationalize capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Grant, Hugh & Thille, Henry, 2001. "Tariffs, Strategy, And Structure: Competition And Collusion In The Ontario Petroleum Industry, 1870–1880," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(2), pages 390-413, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:61:y:2001:i:02:p:390-413_02
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    Cited by:

    1. Kiyota, Kozo & Okazaki, Tetsuji, 2016. "Assessing the effects of Japanese industrial policy change during the 1960s," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 31-42.
    2. Simon J. Evenett & Margaret C. Levenstein & Valerie Y. Suslow, 2001. "International Cartel Enforcement: Lessons from the 1990s," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(9), pages 1221-1245, September.
    3. KIYOTA Kozo & OKAZAKI Tetsuji, 2013. "Effects of Industrial Policy on Productivity: The case of import quota removal during postwar Japan," Discussion papers 13093, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    4. John M. Connor, 2003. "Private International Cartels: Effectiveness, Welfare, and Anticartel Enforcement," Working Papers 03-12, Purdue University, College of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    5. Margaret C. Levenstein & Valerie Y. Suslow, 2002. "What Determines Cartel Success?," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2002-01, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    6. O'Brien, Anthony Patrick, 2004. "Why is the standard error of regression so low using historical data?: Comments on "size matters"," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 565-570, November.

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