Competition: theoretical parameterizations and empirical measures

Authors
Publication date 2008
Journal Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics
Volume | Issue number 164 | 4
Pages (from-to) 587-611
Number of pages 25
Organisations
  • Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) - Amsterdam School of Economics Research Institute (ASE-RI)
Abstract This paper proposes relative profits (RP) as a robust measure of competition. I consider nine different parameterizations of competition and show that more intense competition increases the profits of a firm relative to a less efficient firm. Further, popular competition measures like the price-cost margin (PCM) and Herfindahl index (H) can either increase or decrease in response to more intense competition. In this sense, RP is a more robust competition measure than PCM and H.
Document type Article
Published at https://doi.org/10.1628/093245608786534640
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