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Compatible Mergers: Assets, Service Areas, and Market Power

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Listed:
  • Tetsuji Okazaki

    (Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo)

  • Ken Onishi

    (Federal Reserve Board)

  • Naoki Wakamori

    (Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo)

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the discrepancy between the incentive of firms to merge and the social value of mergers using detailed data on merger waves in the pre-WWII Japanese electricity industry when a competition authority did not yet exist. We find that firms could enjoy cost synergies when merging with firms with greater differences in production asset composition and/or reachable customers. Such mergers resulted in increases in capital utilization and total output. However, the sources of these cost synergies did not affect the merger decision of firms; instead, geographical proximity increased the likelihood of mergers. These results imply that the merger incentive may not align with social welfare and thus policy intervention to allow selective mergers for particular combinations of firms may help increase social welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Tetsuji Okazaki & Ken Onishi & Naoki Wakamori, 2019. "Compatible Mergers: Assets, Service Areas, and Market Power," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-1134, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    • Handle: RePEc:tky:fseres:2019cf1134
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Robert Clark & Mario Samano, 2022. "Incentivized Mergers and Cost Efficiency: Evidence from the Electricity Distribution Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 791-837, December.

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