The Fall and Rise of Market Power in Europe

ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 18-003 // 2018
ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 18-003 // 2018

The Fall and Rise of Market Power in Europe

This paper presents an analysis of the recent developments of average market power in Europe by using a broad firm-level database for EU member states. To indicate competitive pressure at the firm-level, markups are estimated following De Loecker (2011), and De Loecker and Warzynski (2012). The analysis reveals a sharp drop in markups during the crisis, followed by a post-crisis increase. The European average has not yet reached its pre-crisis level, which is in contrast to results for the US, where average markups have climbed to pre-crisis levels already in 2011. There is significant heterogeneity among European economies and the pre-crisis levels do have been exceeded in some countries.

Weche, John P. und Achim Wambach (2018), The Fall and Rise of Market Power in Europe, ZEW Discussion Paper Nr. 18-003, Mannheim.

Autoren/-innen John P. Weche // Achim Wambach