[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2407.03504.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Prices and Concentration: A U-shape? Theory and Evidence from Renewables

Author

Listed:
  • Michele Fioretti
  • Junnan He
  • Jorge Tamayo
Abstract
We study firms' strategic interactions when each firm may own multiple production technologies, each with its own marginal cost and capacity. Increasing industry concentration by reallocating non-efficient capacity to the largest and most efficient firm can decrease market prices as it incentivizes the firm to outcompete its rivals. However, with large reallocations, the standard monotonic relationship between concentration and prices re-emerges as competition weakens due to the rival's lower capacity. Thus, we demonstrate a U-shaped relationship between market prices and industry concentration when firms are diversified. This result does not rely on economies of scale or scope. We find consistent evidence from the Colombian wholesale energy market, where strategic firms are diversified with fossil-fuel and renewable technologies, exploiting exogenous variation in renewable capacities. Our findings not only apply to the green transition but also to other industries and suggest new insights for antitrust policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Michele Fioretti & Junnan He & Jorge Tamayo, 2024. "Prices and Concentration: A U-shape? Theory and Evidence from Renewables," Papers 2407.03504, arXiv.org.
  • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2407.03504
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.03504
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ali Hortacsu & Olivia R. Natan & Hayden Parsley & Timothy Schwieg & Kevin R. Williams, 2021. "Organizational Structure and Pricing: Evidence from a Large U.S. Airline," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2312, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    2. Jakub Kastl, 2011. "Discrete Bids and Empirical Inference in Divisible Good Auctions," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(3), pages 974-1014.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Philippe Aghion & Leonardo Bursztyn & David Hemous, 2012. "The Environment and Directed Technical Change," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 131-166, February.
    4. Andrew Atkeson & Ariel Burstein, 2008. "Pricing-to-Market, Trade Costs, and International Relative Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1998-2031, December.
    5. Frank A. Wolak, 2007. "Quantifying the supply-side benefits from forward contracting in wholesale electricity markets," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(7), pages 1179-1209.
    6. Morck, Randall & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1990. "Do Managerial Objectives Drive Bad Acquisitions?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(1), pages 31-48, March.
    7. Xavier Vives, 2011. "Strategic Supply Function Competition With Private Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(6), pages 1919-1966, November.
    8. Holmberg, Pär & Philpott, Andrew, 2012. "Supply Function Equilibria in Networks with Transport Constraints," Working Paper Series 945, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised 10 Aug 2015.
    9. Volker Nocke & Nicolas Schutz, 2018. "An Aggregative Games Approach to Merger Analysis in Multiproduct-Firm Oligopoly," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2018_024, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    10. Vanessa Alvariez & Michele Fioretti & Ayumu Ken Kikkawa & Monica Morlacco, 2022. "Two-Sided Market Power in Firm-to-Firm Trade," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03795736, HAL.
    11. John Asker & Allan Collard-Wexler & Jan De Loecker, 2019. "(Mis)Allocation, Market Power, and Global Oil Extraction," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(4), pages 1568-1615, April.
    12. Jorge Balat & Juan E. Carranza & Juan D. Martin, 2015. "Dynamic and Strategic Behavior in Hydropower-Dominated Electricity Markets: Empirical Evidence for Colombia," Borradores de Economia 886, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    13. Ali Hortaçsu & Jakub Kastl & Allen Zhang, 2018. "Bid Shading and Bidder Surplus in the US Treasury Auction System," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(1), pages 147-169, January.
    14. Allan Collard-Wexler & Jan De Loecker, 2015. "Reallocation and Technology: Evidence from the US Steel Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(1), pages 131-171, January.
    15. Mar Reguant, 2014. "Complementary Bidding Mechanisms and Startup Costs in Electricity Markets," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 81(4), pages 1708-1742.
    16. Delgado, Juan & Moreno, Diego, 2004. "Coalition-proof supply function equilibria in oligopoly," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 114(2), pages 231-254, February.
    17. Ivaldi, Marc & Elliott, Jonathan & Houngbonon, Georges V. & Scott, Paul, 2021. "Market Structure, Investment and Technical Efficiencies in Mobile Telecommunications," CEPR Discussion Papers 16111, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Mireia Jofre-Bonet & Martin Pesendorfer, 2003. "Estimation of a Dynamic Auction Game," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(5), pages 1443-1489, September.
    19. David Autor & David Dorn & Lawrence F Katz & Christina Patterson & John Van Reenen, 2020. "The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms [“Automation and New Tasks: How Technology Displaces and Reinstates Labor”]," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(2), pages 645-709.
    20. Stéphane Bonhomme & Thibaut Lamadon & Elena Manresa, 2019. "A Distributional Framework for Matched Employer Employee Data," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 87(3), pages 699-739, May.
    21. Paul L. Joskow, 2011. "Comparing the Costs of Intermittent and Dispatchable Electricity Generating Technologies," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 238-241, May.
    22. Stefan Ambec & Claude Crampes, 2019. "Decarbonizing Electricity Generation with Intermittent Sources of Energy," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(6), pages 1105-1134.
    23. David Andrés‐Cerezo & Natalia Fabra, 2023. "Storing power: market structure matters," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 54(1), pages 3-53, March.
    24. Serguey Braguinsky & Atsushi Ohyama & Tetsuji Okazaki & Chad Syverson, 2015. "Acquisitions, Productivity, and Profitability: Evidence from the Japanese Cotton Spinning Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(7), pages 2086-2119, July.
    25. C. Lanier Benkard & Ali Yurukoglu & Anthony Lee Zhang, 2021. "Concentration in Product Markets," NBER Working Papers 28745, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
      • Benkard, C. Lanier & Yurukoglu, Ali & Zhang, Anthony Lee, 2021. "Concentration in Product Markets," Working Papers 308, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    26. K. Ruddell & A. B. Philpott & A. Downward, 2017. "Supply Function Equilibrium with Taxed Benefits," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 65(1), pages 1-18, February.
    27. Daron Acemoglu & Ali Kakhbod & Asuman Ozdaglar, 2017. "Competition in Electricity Markets with Renewable Energy Sources," The Energy Journal, , vol. 38(1_suppl), pages 137-156, June.
    28. Green, Richard J & Newbery, David M, 1992. "Competition in the British Electricity Spot Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(5), pages 929-953, October.
    29. Myrto Kalouptsidi & Paul T. Scott & Eduardo Souza‐Rodrigues, 2021. "Identification of counterfactuals in dynamic discrete choice models," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(2), pages 351-403, May.
    30. Olley, G Steven & Pakes, Ariel, 1996. "The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(6), pages 1263-1297, November.
    31. Friberg, Richard & Romahn, André, 2015. "Divestiture requirements as a tool for competition policy: A case from the Swedish beer market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-18.
    32. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Ashley Langer & Wendan Zhang, 2022. "Policy Uncertainty in the Market for Coal Electricity: The Case of Air Toxics Standards," NBER Working Papers 30297, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    33. Ausubel, Lawrence M. & Cramton, Peter, 2010. "Using forward markets to improve electricity market design," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 195-200, December.
    34. Luis E. Gonzales & Koichiro Ito & Mar Reguant, 2023. "The Investment Effects of Market Integration: Evidence From Renewable Energy Expansion in Chile," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 91(5), pages 1659-1693, September.
    35. Bernasconi, Mario & Espinosa, Miguel & Macchiavello, Rocco & Suarez, Carlos, 2023. "Relational Collusion in the Colombian Electricity Market," CEPR Discussion Papers 18056, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    36. Robert M. Solow, 1955. "The Production function and the Theory of Capital," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 23(2), pages 101-108.
    37. Jan De Loecker & Jan Eeckhout & Gabriel Unger, 2020. "The Rise of Market Power and the Macroeconomic Implications [“Econometric Tools for Analyzing Market Outcomes”]," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(2), pages 561-644.
    38. Arias-Gaviria, Jessica & Carvajal-Quintero, Sandra Ximena & Arango-Aramburo, Santiago, 2019. "Understanding dynamics and policy for renewable energy diffusion in Colombia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1111-1119.
    39. Nathan H. Miller & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2017. "Understanding the Price Effects of the MillerCoors Joint Venture," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85(6), pages 1763-1791, November.
    40. Compte, Olivier & Jenny, Frederic & Rey, Patrick, 2002. "Capacity constraints, mergers and collusion," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 1-29, January.
    41. Robert W. Staiger & Frank A. Wolak, 1992. "Collusive Pricing with Capacity Constraints in the Presence of Demand Uncertainty," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 23(2), pages 203-220, Summer.
    42. de Frutos, María-Ángeles & Fabra, Natalia, 2011. "Endogenous capacities and price competition: The role of demand uncertainty," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 399-411, July.
    43. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Stanley S. Reynolds & Mario Samano, 2016. "Intermittency and the Value of Renewable Energy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 124(4), pages 1187-1234.
    44. Abrell, Jan & Rausch, Sebastian & Streitberger, Clemens, 2019. "The economics of renewable energy support," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 94-117.
    45. Grossman, Sanford J, 1981. "Nash Equilibrium and the Industrial Organization of Markets with Large Fixed Costs," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(5), pages 1149-1172, September.
    46. Kevin M. Murphy & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1992. "The Transition to a Market Economy: Pitfalls of Partial Reform," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(3), pages 889-906.
    47. Enghin Atalay & Ali Hortaçsu & Mary Jialin Li & Chad Syverson, 2019. "How Wide Is the Firm Border?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(4), pages 1845-1882.
    48. Przemysław Jeziorski, 2014. "Estimation of cost efficiencies from mergers: application to US radio," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 45(4), pages 816-846, December.
    49. Crawford, Gregory S. & Crespo, Joseph & Tauchen, Helen, 2007. "Bidding asymmetries in multi-unit auctions: Implications of bid function equilibria in the British spot market for electricity," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1233-1268, December.
    50. Fiuza de Bragança, Gabriel Godofredo & Daglish, Toby, 2016. "Can market power in the electricity spot market translate into market power in the hedge market?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 11-26.
    51. Joan Robinson, 1953. "The Production Function and the Theory of Capital," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 21(2), pages 81-106.
    52. Nocke, Volker & Schutz, Nicolas, 2018. "An Aggregative Games Approach to Merger Analysis in Multiproduct-Firm Oligopoly," CEPR Discussion Papers 12905, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    53. Huisman, Ronald & Koolen, Derck & Stet, Cristian, 2021. "Pricing forward contracts in power markets with variable renewable energy sources," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1260-1265.
    54. Nikhil Agarwal & Alex Moehring & Pranav Rajpurkar & Tobias Salz, 2023. "Combining Human Expertise with Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Evidence from Radiology," NBER Working Papers 31422, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    55. Orley C. Ashenfelter & Daniel S. Hosken & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2015. "Efficiencies brewed: pricing and consolidation in the US beer industry," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(2), pages 328-361, June.
    56. Garcia, Alfredo & Reitzes, James D & Stacchetti, Ennio, 2001. "Strategic Pricing when Electricity is Storable," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 223-247, November.
    57. Nathan H. Miller & Gloria Sheu & Matthew C. Weinberg, 2021. "Oligopolistic Price Leadership and Mergers: The United States Beer Industry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(10), pages 3123-3159, October.
    58. Klemperer, Paul D & Meyer, Margaret A, 1989. "Supply Function Equilibria in Oligopoly under Uncertainty," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(6), pages 1243-1277, November.
    59. Volker Nocke & Michael D. Whinston, 2022. "Concentration Thresholds for Horizontal Mergers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(6), pages 1915-1948, June.
    60. Froeb, Luke & Tschantz, Steven & Crooke, Philip, 2003. "Bertrand competition with capacity constraints: mergers among parking lots," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 49-67, March.
    61. Andrew Sweeting, 2013. "Dynamic Product Positioning in Differentiated Product Markets: The Effect of Fees for Musical Performance Rights on the Commercial Radio Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 81(5), pages 1763-1803, September.
    62. Peter Arcidiacono & Robert A. Miller, 2011. "Conditional Choice Probability Estimation of Dynamic Discrete Choice Models With Unobserved Heterogeneity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(6), pages 1823-1867, November.
    63. James Bushnell, 2003. "A Mixed Complementarity Model of Hydrothermal Electricity Competition in the Western United States," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 51(1), pages 80-93, February.
    64. Jorge Balat & Juan Esteban Carranza & Juan David Martin & Alvaro Riascos, 2022. "The effects of changes in the regulation of the Colombian wholesale electricity market in a structural model of complex auctions," Borradores de Economia 1211, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    65. Anderson, Edward J. & Hu, Xinmin, 2008. "Forward contracts and market power in an electricity market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 679-694, May.
    66. K. Ruddell & A. B. Philpott & A. Downward, 2017. "Supply Function Equilibrium with Taxed Benefits," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 65(1), pages 1-18, February.
    67. Peter Cramton & Axel Ockenfels & Steven Stoft, 2013. "Capacity Market Fundamentals," Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2).
    68. Nicholas Ryan, 2021. "The Competitive Effects of Transmission Infrastructure in the Indian Electricity Market," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 202-242, May.
    69. R. Andrew Butters & Jackson Dorsey & Gautam Gowrisankaran, 2021. "Soaking Up the Sun: Battery Investment, Renewable Energy, and Market Equilibrium," NBER Working Papers 29133, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    70. David M. Kreps & Jose A. Scheinkman, 1983. "Quantity Precommitment and Bertrand Competition Yield Cournot Outcomes," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 14(2), pages 326-337, Autumn.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michele Fioretti & Jorge Tamayo, 2021. "Saving for a Dry Day: Coal, Dams, and the Energy Transition," Working Papers hal-03389152, HAL.
    2. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/1qif9fqehq930ovnr511k1el4f is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/1qif9fqehq930ovnr511k1el4f is not listed on IDEAS
    4. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/1qif9fqehq930ovnr511k1el4f is not listed on IDEAS
    5. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1qif9fqehq930ovnr511k1el4f is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Fabra, Natalia, 2021. "The energy transition: An industrial economics perspective," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/6q707l4svn8k3bt630nhgdqgdu is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6q707l4svn8k3bt630nhgdqgdu is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Javier D. Donna & Pedro Pereira, 2024. "Structural Presumptions for Non-horizontal Mergers in the 2023 Merger Guidelines: A Primer and a Path Forward," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 65(1), pages 303-345, August.
    10. Jorge Balat & Juan E. Carranza & Juan D. Martin, 2015. "Dynamic and Strategic Behavior in Hydropower-Dominated Electricity Markets: Empirical Evidence for Colombia," Borradores de Economia 886, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    11. Vanessa Alviarez & Keith Head & Thierry Mayer, 2020. "Global giants and local stars: How changes in brand ownership affect competition," Working Papers 2020-13, CEPII research center.
    12. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6q707l4svn8k3bt630nhgdqgdu is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Bohland, Moritz & Schwenen, Sebastian, 2022. "Renewable support and strategic pricing in electricity markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    14. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6q707l4svn8k3bt630nhgdqgdu is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Manzano, Carolina & Vives, Xavier, 2021. "Market power and welfare in asymmetric divisible good auctions," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 16(3), July.
    16. Anderson, Edward & Holmberg, Pär, 2018. "Price instability in multi-unit auctions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 318-341.
    17. Carsten Helm & Mathias Mier, 2020. "Steering the Energy Transition in a World of Intermittent Electricity Supply: Optimal Subsidies and Taxes for Renewables Storage," ifo Working Paper Series 330, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    18. Moritz Bohland & Sebastian Schwenen, 2020. "Technology Policy and Market Structure: Evidence from the Power Sector," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1856, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    19. de Frutos, María-Ángeles & Fabra, Natalia, 2011. "Endogenous capacities and price competition: The role of demand uncertainty," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 399-411, July.
    20. Helm, Carsten & Mier, Mathias, 2021. "Steering the energy transition in a world of intermittent electricity supply: Optimal subsidies and taxes for renewables and storage," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    21. Pär Holmberg, 2017. "Pro‐competitive Rationing in Multi‐unit Auctions," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(605), pages 372-395, October.
    22. Delbono, Flavio & Lambertini, Luca, 2016. "Ranking Bertrand, Cournot and supply function equilibria in oligopoly," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 73-78.
    23. Anderson, E. & Holmberg, P., 2023. "Multi-unit auctions with uncertain supply and single-unit demand," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2339, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    24. Victor Aguirregabiria & Margaret Slade, 2017. "Empirical models of firms and industries," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(5), pages 1445-1488, December.
    25. Michal Król, 2012. "‘Everything must go!’- Cournot as a Stable Convention within Strategic Supply Function Competition," Economics Discussion Paper Series 1217, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    26. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew & Silveira, Douglas, 2023. "Screening for collusion in wholesale electricity markets: A literature review," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    27. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew, 2021. "Analyzing firm behavior in restructured electricity markets: Empirical challenges with a residual demand analysis," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    28. John J. García Rendón & Alex F. Pérez-Libreros, 2019. "El precio spot de la electricidad y la inclusión de energía renovable no convencional: evidencia para Colombia," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 17393, Universidad EAFIT.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2407.03504. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.