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Can cost asymmetry be a rationale for privatisation?

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  • Mukherjee, Arijit
  • Sinha, Uday Bhanu

Abstract

Cost asymmetries between the public and the private firms create a rationale for privatising the public firms. We show that this argument is restrictive, since it does not allow for other ways of reducing production inefficiency, which creates the motivation for privatisation. If the profit maximising private firm is technologically superior to that of the welfare maximising public firm, the society and the private firm benefit from technology licensing. Under technology licensing, both the equilibrium output of the private firm and the equilibrium degree of privatisation are zero. However, if cost asymmetry cannot be bridged by technology licensing due to costly and/or imperfect technology transfer, the argument in favour of privatisation remains.

Suggested Citation

  • Mukherjee, Arijit & Sinha, Uday Bhanu, 2014. "Can cost asymmetry be a rationale for privatisation?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 497-503.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:29:y:2014:i:c:p:497-503
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2013.07.010
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    Cited by:

    1. Madhuri H.Shastry & Uday Bhanu Sinha, 2023. "Privatization and Licensing under Public Budget Constraint," Working papers 343, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    2. Leonard Wang & Tien-Der Han, 2015. "Better governance matters optimal privatization policy," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 5(2), pages 189-206, December.
    3. Leonard F. S. Wang & Arijit Mukherjee & Chenhang Zeng, 2020. "Does technology licensing matter for privatization?," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 22(5), pages 1462-1480, September.
    4. Beladi, Hamid & Chakrabarti, Avik & Hollas, Daniel, 2016. "A public firm in a vertically linked price discriminating spatial duopoly," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 59-63.
    5. Nakamura, Yasuhiko, 2014. "Capacity choice in a duopoly with a consumer-friendly firm and an absolute profit-maximizing firm," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 105-117.
    6. Wang, Chia-Chi & Chiou, Jiunn-Rong, 2015. "An analysis of policy harmonization on privatization and trade liberalization," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 279-290.
    7. Wang, Leonard F.S. & Lee, Jen-yao & Hsu, Chu-chuan, 2014. "Privatization, foreign competition, and social efficiency of free entry," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 138-147.
    8. Shuai Niu, 2015. "Privatization in the presence of patent licensing," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 151-163, October.
    9. Chen, Yi-Wen & Yang, Ya-Po & Wang, Leonard F.S. & Wu, Shih-Jye, 2014. "Technology licensing in mixed oligopoly," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 193-204.
    10. Yi Liu & Leonard F.S. Wang & Chenhang Zeng, 2023. "Upstream privatization and downstream licensing," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 19(1), pages 148-165, March.
    11. Wu, Xiaoting & Mukherjee, Arijit & Zeng, Chenhang, 2024. "Privatization and innovation in a vertical structure," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    12. Chih-Wei Chang & Dachrahn Wu & Yan-Shu Lin, 2018. "Price control and privatization in a mixed duopoly with a public social enterprise," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 57-73, May.
    13. Zhang, Huaige & Wang, Xuejun & Qing, Ping & Hong, Xianpei, 2016. "Optimal licensing of uncertain patents in a differentiated Stackelberg duopolistic competition market," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 215-229.
    14. Yang, Le & Huang, Zining, 2023. "Quality-improving licensing of an outside innovator in a mixed Cournot duopoly," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    15. Nabin, Munirul H. & Nguyen, Xuan & Sgro, Pasquale M. & Chao, Chi-Chur, 2014. "Strategic quality competition, mixed oligopoly and privatization," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 142-150.
    16. Cho, Sumi & Kim, Doori & Lee, Sang-Ho, 2021. "Free licensing strategy and ex post privatization in a mixed oligopoly," MPRA Paper 106126, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Benchekroun, H. & Benchekroun, S., 2015. "Harvests' lifespan and North–South market share rivalry," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 114-124.
    18. Liu, Yi & Lahiri, Sajal & Liu, Tianqi, 2018. "Optimal Partial Privatization in the Presence of Foreign Competition: The Role of Efficiency Differentials and Unemployment," MPRA Paper 91471, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 23 Jan 2019.
    19. Cho, Sumi & Kim, Doori & Lee, Sang-Ho, 2022. "Free licensing strategy and ex-post privatization policy with passive ownership," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    20. Nakamura, Yasuhiko, 2015. "Endogenous choice of strategic incentives in a mixed duopoly with a new managerial delegation contract for the public firm," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 262-277.
    21. Jinshi Cheng & Bengang Gong & Bangyi Li, 2018. "Cooperation strategy of technology licensing based on evolutionary game," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 268(1), pages 387-404, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Privatisation; Technology licensing; Welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • H44 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Goods: Mixed Markets

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