A Characterization of the Herfindahl Hirschman Index and its use in the Horizontal Merger Guidelines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Universidad de los Andes Dept. of E Submitter
2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-212
Author(s):  
Tommaso Valletti ◽  
Hans Zenger

AbstractOn the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 2010 U.S. Horizontal Merger Guidelines, this article provides an overview of the state of economic analysis of unilateral effects in mergers with differentiated products. Drawing on our experience with merger enforcement in Europe, we discuss both static and dynamic competition, with a special emphasis on the calibration of competitive effects. We also discuss the role of market shares and structural presumptions in differentiated product markets.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-366
Author(s):  
Dennis L. Weisman

We employ a Cournot model with interdependent demands to explore the interaction between demand and cost complementarities in mitigating upward pricing pressure, post-merger. The analysis reveals that even substantial increases in the HHI post-merger need not raise competitive concerns when output is redistributed from single-market to multi-market providers. Furthermore, the numerical simulations indicate that there is a wide range of demand and cost complementarity parameters over which even monopolization of the market would not be expected to result in higher prices. These findings may constructively inform merger policy and provide useful context for application of the DOJ/FTC horizontal merger guidelines in an increasingly digitized (network) economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-79
Author(s):  
Carl Shapiro ◽  
Howard Shelanski

AbstractWe study how the courts have responded to the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Looking at decided cases, we find that both the government and merging parties rely on the 2010 Guidelines in presenting their cases, each side respectively arguing that it should win if the court properly follows them . The 2010 Guidelines had the strongest effect on the case law in the area of unilateral effects, where a number of courts have embraced them in ways that clearly depart from earlier decisions. The case law now exhibits much greater receptivity to a government showing that the merger will lead to higher prices simply due to the loss of direct competition between the two merging firms. The courts also have followed the 2010 Guidelines by more willingly defining markets around targeted customers. We do not detect any effect on decided cases of the higher concentration thresholds found in the 2010 Guidelines. Both the average pre-merger level of market concentration and the average increase in market concentration alleged by the government in litigated cases to date declined after 2010 .


Percurso ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (29) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Everton Das Neves GONÇALVES ◽  
Bruna Pamplona de QUEIROZ

RESUMO O presente artigo, por meio de método de abordagem dedutivo e, como auxiliar, o comparativo, bem como procedimento de análise bibliográfica e jurisprudencial, pretende demonstrar que a teoria norte-americana da Failing Firm Defense encontra aplicação no atual cenário de crise brasileira, ao possibilitar a aprovação de certos atos de concentração, normalmente, reprováveis ou sujeitos às restrições, pelo Órgão de proteção à concorrência, em razão da função social da empresa. Para isso, são estabelecidos determinados critérios encontrados nos precedentes e no Horizontal Merger Guidelines dos Estados Unidos que servem de base ao CADE à utilização da teoria em seus julgados, ainda que necessária a adaptação à realidade econômica do País. PALAVRAS-CHAVES: Direito Econômico; Antitruste; Concorrência; Legislação Falimentar; Crise; Failing Firm Defense. ABSTRACTThe present article, through the method of deductive approach and, as auxiliary, comparative, as well as the process of bibliographical and jurisprudential analysis, the proposals that demonstrate the American theory of the Defense of Low Companies, are in Increasing probability of competitions, normally reprehensible or subject to restrictions, by competition law, because of the social function of the company. The horizontal merger guidelines of the United States of America are not based on the United States Horizontal Fusion Guidelines. KEYWORDS: Economic Law; Antitrust; Competition; Bankruptcy Legislation; Crisis; Failing Firm Defense.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document