Barriers to retail competition and prices: evidence from Spain

C-Tier
Journal: Oxford Economic Papers
Year: 2010
Volume: 62
Issue: 2
Pages: 395-416

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Why do prices in Spain's regions fail to converge? The prime suspects for this puzzling result are differences in regional barriers to entry in retail distribution. This paper develops a Cournot-Nash model of imperfect competition to illustrate the effect of barriers on prices. A unique data set--derived from an extensive analysis of competition policies in Spain--provides evidence that barriers to entry increase regional prices. The evidence also suggests that, consistent with the model's predictions, barriers to entry raise prices up to a point, and thus indicate that barriers have a threshold effect on prices. Copyright 2010 Oxford University Press 2009 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:oxecpp:v:62:y:2010:i:2:p:395-416
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-02-02