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Market structure and competition in the healthcare industry

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Lábaj

    (University of Economics in Bratislava)

  • Peter Silanič

    (University of Economics in Bratislava)

  • Christoph Weiss

    (Vienna University of Economics and Business)

  • Biliana Yontcheva

    (Vienna University of Economics and Business)

Abstract

The present paper provides first empirical evidence on the relationship between market size and the number of firms in the healthcare industry for a transition economy. We estimate market-size thresholds required to support different numbers of suppliers (firms) for three occupations in the healthcare industry in a large number of distinct geographic markets in Slovakia, taking into account the spatial interaction between local markets. The empirical analysis is carried out for three time periods (1995, 2001 and 2010) which characterise different stages of the transition process. Our results suggest that the relationship between market size and the number of firms differs both across industries and across periods. In particular, we find that pharmacies, as the only completely liberalised market in our dataset, experience the largest change in competitive behaviour during the transition process. Furthermore, we find evidence for correlation in entry decisions across administrative borders, suggesting that future market analysis should aim to capture these regional effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Lábaj & Peter Silanič & Christoph Weiss & Biliana Yontcheva, 2018. "Market structure and competition in the healthcare industry," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 19(8), pages 1087-1110, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:19:y:2018:i:8:d:10.1007_s10198-018-0959-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-018-0959-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Saul Estrin, 2002. "Competition and Corporate Governance in Transition," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 101-124, Winter.
    2. Gaynor, Martin & Town, Robert J., 2011. "Competition in Health Care Markets," Handbook of Health Economics, in: Mark V. Pauly & Thomas G. Mcguire & Pedro P. Barros (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 499-637, Elsevier.
    3. Catherine Schaumans & Frank Verboven, 2015. "Entry and Competition in Differentiated Products Markets," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(1), pages 195-209, March.
    4. Joseph P. Newhouse & Albert P. Williams & Bruce W. Bennett & William B. Schwartz, 1982. "Does the Geographical Distribution of Physicians Reflect Market Failure?," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 493-505, Autumn.
    5. Martin Lábaj & Karol Morvay & Peter Silanič & Christoph Weiss & Biliana Yontcheva, 2018. "Market structure and competition in transition: results from a spatial analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(15), pages 1694-1715, March.
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    7. Catherine Schaumans & Frank Verboven, 2008. "Entry and regulation: evidence from health care professions," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(4), pages 949-972, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Lábaj & Peter Mandžak, 2022. "Entry and Competition of Healthcare Providers in Slovakia: A Spatial Analysis," Journal of Economics / Ekonomicky casopis, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, vol. 70(3), pages 211-236, March.
    2. Fitzová, Hana & Kališ, Richard & Pařil, Vilém & Fila, Milan, 2024. "Entry and competition in the European bike-sharing industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 100-107.
    3. Paolo Coccorese & Alfonso Pellecchia, 2022. "Deregulation, Entry, and Competition in Local Banking Markets," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 61(2), pages 171-197, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health care; Entry models; Competition; Regulation; Transition economies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis

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