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Antitrust and Regulation, Complements or Substitutes? The Case of a Vertically Integrated Firm

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  • Aldo González Tissinetti

Abstract

This paper studies the interaction between regulation and antitrust. We consider a situation where an incumbent provides access to an essential facility and competes downstream with an entrant such that the anticompetitive danger is twofold. First, abusive access charges reduce the benefits of competition and second the incumbent may engage in predatory pricing or “margin squeeze”. We show that access regulation and antitrust are complementary instruments, i.e. tighter ex-ante regulation that tends to fix lower access charge demands ex-post more antitrust monitoring aimed to deter predation.

Suggested Citation

  • Aldo González Tissinetti, 2006. "Antitrust and Regulation, Complements or Substitutes? The Case of a Vertically Integrated Firm," Working Papers wp225, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:udc:wpaper:wp225
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    File URL: http://www.econ.uchile.cl/uploads/publicacion/5d2477ba-8780-454b-9144-34f7e4641974.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lee, Sang Hyup & Hamilton, Jonathan H, 1999. "Using Market Structure to Regulate a Vertically Integrated Monopolist," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 223-248, May.
    2. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1982. "Limit Pricing and Entry under Incomplete Information: An Equilibrium Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(2), pages 443-459, March.
    3. Bolton, Patrick & Scharfstein, David S, 1990. "A Theory of Predation Based on Agency Problems in Financial Contracting," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(1), pages 93-106, March.
    4. Bengt Holmstrom & Jean Tirole, 1997. "Financial Intermediation, Loanable Funds, and The Real Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(3), pages 663-691.
    5. Laffont, Jean-Jacques & Tirole, Jean, 1986. "Using Cost Observation to Regulate Firms," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 614-641, June.
    6. David Scharfstein, 1984. "A Policy to Prevent Rational Test-Market Predation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(2), pages 229-243, Summer.
    7. John Vickers, 1995. "Competition and Regulation in Vertically Related Markets," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(1), pages 1-17.
    8. Mandy, David M, 2000. "Killing the Goose That May Have Laid the Golden Egg: Only the Data Know Whether Sabotage Pays," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 157-172, March.
    9. Sibley, David S. & Weisman, Dennis L., 1998. "Raising rivals' costs: The entry of an upstream monopolist into downstream markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 451-470, December.
    10. Biglaiser, Gary & DeGraba, Patrick, 2001. "Downstream Integration by a Bottleneck Input Supplier Whose Regulated Wholesale Prices Are Above Costs," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 32(2), pages 302-315, Summer.
    11. Antoine Faure‐Grimaud, 1997. "The Regulation of Predatory Firms," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(1), pages 425-451, June.
    12. Besanko, David & Spulber, Daniel F, 1989. "Antitrust Enforcement under Asymmetric Information," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(396), pages 408-425, June.
    13. Antoine Faure‐Grimaud, 1997. "The Regulation of Predatory Firms," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(4), pages 849-876, December.
    14. repec:bla:jindec:v:45:y:1997:i:2:p:155-69 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Luís M. B. Cabral & Michael H. Riordan, 1997. "The Learning Curve, Predation, Antitrust, and Welfare," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 155-169, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rey, Patrick & Jullien, Bruno & Saavedra, Claudia, 2014. "The Economics of Margin Squeeze," CEPR Discussion Papers 9905, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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