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Why haven't price-cost margins decreased with globalization?

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Abstract

This study analyzes the determinants of price-cost margins (PCMs) for OECD countries between 1970-2003. The main objective is to quantify the pro-competitive effect of international trade and understand why, despite trade liberalization, PCMs have not fallen overall. An increase of one percentage point in the import penetration ratio is estimated to lower the PCM by around 0,005: on average, imports contributed to a large decrease of 0,042 in the PCM. In addition, domestic product market deregulation has reduced PCMs. However, these effects are countervailed by the impacts of exports, financial deepening and disinflation. Union participation seems negatively related to PCMs

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  • Hervé Boulhol, 2005. "Why haven't price-cost margins decreased with globalization?," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques bla06007, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1).
    • Handle: RePEc:mse:wpsorb:bla06007
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    Cited by:

    1. Guilloux, S. & Kharroubi, E., 2008. "Some Preliminary Evidence on the Globalization-Inflation Nexus," Working papers 195, Banque de France.
    2. Hervé Boulhol & Sabien Dobbelaere & Sara Maioli, 2011. "Imports as Product and Labour Market Discipline," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 49(2), pages 331-361, June.
    3. David R. Gallagher & Katja Ignatieva & James McCulloch & Henk Berkman, 2015. "Industry concentration, excess returns and innovation in Australia," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 55(2), pages 443-466, June.
    4. Peltonen, Tuomas A. & Skala, Martin & Santos Rivera, Alvaro & Pula, Gabor, 2008. "Imports and profitability in the euro area manufacturing sector: the role of emerging market economies," Working Paper Series 918, European Central Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Price-cost margin; pro-competitive effect; wage bargaining; dynamic panel;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L60 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - General
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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