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Limited Liability and Market Power

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  • Teresa John
  • Lemma Senbet
  • Anant Sundaram
  • Peter Woodward

Abstract

This paper evaluates the welfare effects of limited liability on firm behavior when market power is present. A risk-neutral monopolist facing uncertain demand (with constant returns to scale technology) produces higher output, yielding higher expected profits when costless exit is induced by limited liability. The higher output may increase social welfare (monopolist profit plus consumer surplus) even though the monopolist may overproduce relative to the quantity that maximizes social welfare. When no market power is present, the overproduction resulting from the provision of limited liability results in loss of social welfare. Appropriate use of liability limitation laws can thus provide policy makers an additional policy instrument with which to mitigate the effects of market power. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2005

Suggested Citation

  • Teresa John & Lemma Senbet & Anant Sundaram & Peter Woodward, 2005. "Limited Liability and Market Power," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 215-231, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:rqfnac:v:25:y:2005:i:3:p:215-231
    DOI: 10.1007/s11156-005-4765-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Tetsuya Shinkai & Takao Ohkawa & Makoto Okamura & Kozo Harimaya, 2012. "Why did the Dutch East India Co. outperform the British East India Co.? —A theoretical explanation based on the objective of the firm and limited liability—," Discussion Paper Series 96, School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University, revised Dec 2012.
    2. Takao Ohkawa & Tetsuya Shinkai & Makoto Okamura & Kozo Harimaya, 2012. "Endogenous Determination of the Liability Rule in Oligopolistic Markets," Discussion Paper Series 91, School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University, revised Jul 2012.
    3. Leslie Hannah, 2015. "A global corporate census: publicly traded and close companies in 1910," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(2), pages 548-573, May.

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