IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/soecon/v80y2013i2p466-487.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Market Performance Implications of the Transfer Price Rule

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen Martin
  • Jan Vandekerckhove

Abstract

The “transfer price rule” (TPR) defines a vertical price squeeze as an input price, output price combination set by a vertically‐integrated firm monopoly producer of an essential input that would not allow the firm's downstream unit to earn at least a normal rate of return on investment in the “as‐if” case that it had to purchase the input at the price charged independent firms. In its 2009 linkLine decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the TPR for the purpose of enforcing the anti‐monopolization prohibition of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. In contrast, a vertical price squeeze, defined by a TPR‐like standard, is an abuse of a dominant position under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. In this article, we model the impact of the TPR on market performance. We find that the TPR increases consumer surplus and net social welfare if all firms remain active in the downstream market. It sometimes induces the upstream firm to refuse to supply the downstream firm, and in such cases, consumer surplus and net social welfare are reduced. The impact of the TPR on market performance thus depends on whether or not an upstream firm can refuse to supply downstream firms on terms that would offer it at least a normal rate of return on investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Martin & Jan Vandekerckhove, 2013. "Market Performance Implications of the Transfer Price Rule," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 80(2), pages 466-487, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:80:y:2013:i:2:p:466-487
    DOI: 10.4284/0038-4038-2011.049
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.4284/0038-4038-2011.049
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4284/0038-4038-2011.049?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Klebaner, Benjamin J., 1964. "Potential Competition and the American Antitrust Legislation of 1914," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(2), pages 163-185, July.
    2. Gilbert, Richard J, 1989. "The Role of Potential Competition in Industrial Organization," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 3(3), pages 107-127, Summer.
    3. George A. Hay & Kathryn McMahon, 2012. "The Diverging Approach to Price Squeezes in the United States and Europe," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 259-296.
    4. John Vickers, 2010. "Competition Policy and Property Rights," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 120(544), pages 375-392, May.
    5. Pascalis Raimondos-M¯ller, 2002. "Transfer pricing rules and competing governments," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 230-246, April.
    6. Michele Polo, 2007. "Price Squeeze: Lessons From The Telecom Italia Case," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(3), pages 453-470.
    7. Stephen Martin & Jan Vandekerckhove, 2010. "Market Performance Implications of the Transfer Price Rule," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1238, Purdue University, Department of Economics.
    8. Serge Clerckx & Laurent de Muyter, 2009. "Price Squeeze Abuse in the EU Telecommunications Sector: A Reasonably or Equally Efficient Test?," Antitrust Chronicle, Competition Policy International, vol. 4.
    9. Charles A. Prouty, 1900. "Railway Discriminations and Industrial Combinations," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 15(1), pages 41-50, January.
    10. J. Gregory Sidak, 2008. "Abolishing The Price Squeeze As A Theory Of Antitrust Liability," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 279-309.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Justus Haucap & Torben Stühmeier, 2016. "Competition and antitrust in Internet markets," Chapters, in: Johannes M. Bauer & Michael Latzer (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of the Internet, chapter 9, pages 183-210, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Zhijun Chen, 2021. "Price Squeezes as an Exploitative Abuse," Monash Economics Working Papers 2021-05, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    3. Rey, Patrick & Jullien, Bruno & Saavedra, Claudia, 2014. "The Economics of Margin Squeeze," CEPR Discussion Papers 9905, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Christoph Kleineberg & Thomas Wein, 2015. "Relevance and Detection Problems of Margin Squeeze – The Case of German Gasoline Prices," Working Paper Series in Economics 355, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    5. Christoph Kleineberg & Thomas Wein, 2017. "Verdrängungspreise an Tankstellen?," Working Paper Series in Economics 375, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    6. Thomas Wein, 2014. "Preventing Margin Squeeze: An Unsolvable Puzzle for Competition Policy? The Case of the German Gasoline Market," Working Paper Series in Economics 309, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    7. Peralta, Susana & Wauthy, Xavier & van Ypersele, Tanguy, 2006. "Should countries control international profit shifting?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 24-37, January.
    8. Pehr‐Johan Norbäck & Lars Persson & Jonas Vlachos, 2009. "Cross‐border acquisitions and taxes: efficiency and tax revenues," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(4), pages 1473-1500, November.
    9. Sun Me Choi & Christian Fernando Libaque-Saenz & Sang-woo Lee & Myeong-Cheol Park, 2016. "Margin squeeze in the Internet backbone interconnection market: a case study of Korea," Telecommunication Systems: Modelling, Analysis, Design and Management, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 531-542, March.
    10. Zhiyong Liu & Yue Qiao, 2012. "Abuse of Market Dominance Under China’s 2007 Anti-monopoly Law: A Preliminary Assessment," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 41(1), pages 77-107, August.
    11. Schmidt André, 2008. "Ordnungsökonomische Wettbewerbskonzepte: Die Wettbewerbspolitik im Spannungsfeld zwischen Freiheit und Effizienz / Order Economic Concepts of Competition: Competition Policy between Economic Freedom a," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 59(1), pages 209-236, January.
    12. Edward Nissan & George Carter, 2011. "The Largest Trans-nationals of Developing Economies," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 39(1), pages 71-83, March.
    13. Calzada, Joan & Martínez-Santos, Fernando, 2014. "Broadband prices in the European Union: Competition and commercial strategies," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 24-38.
    14. Huric Larsen, Jesper Fredborg, 2012. "Pricing behaviour at capacity constrained facilities," MPRA Paper 39362, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Howell, Bronwyn, 2008. "The End or the Means? The Pursuit of Competition in Regulated Telecommunications Markets," Working Paper Series 4002, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    16. Livingston, Miles & Williams, Glenn, 2007. "Drexel Burnham Lambert's bankruptcy and the subsequent decline in underwriter fees," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 472-501, May.
    17. Anca D. Cristea & Daniel X. Nguyen, 2016. "Transfer Pricing by Multinational Firms: New Evidence from Foreign Firm Ownerships," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(3), pages 170-202, August.
    18. Jay Pil Choi & Jota Ishikawa & Hirofumi Okoshi, 2024. "Tax havens and cross-border licensing with transfer pricing regulation," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 31(2), pages 333-366, April.
    19. Federico Etro, 2010. "Endogenous market structures and antitrust policy," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 57(1), pages 9-45, March.
    20. Jean Hindriks & Susana Peralta & Shlomo Weber, 2014. "Local Taxation of Global Corporation: A Simple Solution," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 113-114, pages 37-65.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:80:y:2013:i:2:p:466-487. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)2325-8012 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.