Abstract
We investigate a desirable role of public enterprise in mixed oligopoly in free-entry markets. We compare the following three cases: (a) a public firm produces before private firms (public leadership), (b) all firms produce simultaneously (Cournot), (c) a public firm produces after private firms (private leadership). We find that private leadership is best and public leadership is worst, in contrast to the cases without entries and exits of private firms. We also investigate the welfare implication of privatization. We find that some important results shown by existing works do not hold under private leadership.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson SP, de Palma A, Thisse J-F (1997) Privatization and efficiency in a differentiated industry. Eur Econ Rev 41(9): 1635–1654
Bárcena-Ruiz JC (2007) Endogenous timing in a mixed duopoly: price competition. J Econ 91(3): 263–272
Bárcena-Ruiz JC, Garzón MB (2003) Mixed duopoly, merger and multiproduct firms. J Econ 80(1): 27–42
Bárcena-Ruiz JC, Garzón MB (2006) Mixed oligopoly and environmental policy. Spanish Econ Rev 8(2): 139–160
Bárcena-Ruiz JC, Garzón MB (2010) Endogenous timing in a mixed oligopoly with semipublic firms. Portuguese Econ J (forthcoming)
Beato P, Mas-Colell A (1984) The marginal cost pricing rule as a regulation mechanism in mixed markets. In: Marchand M, Pestieu P, Tulkens H (eds) The performance of public enterprises. North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp 81–100
Brandão A, Castro S (2007) State-owned enterprises as indirect instruments of entry regulation. J Econ 92(3): 263–274
Chao C-C, Yu ESH (2006) Partial privatization, foreign competition, and optimum tariff. Rev Int Econ 14(1): 87–92
Corneo G, Jeanne O (1994) Oligopole mixte dans un marche commun. Annales d’Economie et de Statistique 33: 73–90
Cremer H, Marchand M, Thisse J-F (1991) Mixed oligopoly with differentiated products. Int J Ind Org 9(1): 43–53
Dadpay A, Heywood JS (2006) Mixed oligopoly in a single international market. Aust Econ Papers 45(4): 269–280
Davidson C, Mukherjee A (2007) Horizontal mergers with free entry. Int J Ind Org 25(1): 157–172
De Fraja G, Delbono F (1989) Alternative strategies of a public enterprise in oligopoly. Oxford Econ Papers 41(2): 302–311
Etro F (2004) Innovation by leaders. Econ J 114: 281–303
Etro F (2006) Aggressive leaders. Rand J Econ 37(1): 146–154
Etro F (2007) Competition, innovation, and antitrust: a theory of market leaders and its policy implications. Springer, New York
Etro F (2008) Stackelberg competition with endogenous entry. Econ J 118: 1670–1697
Fjell K, Pal D (1996) A mixed oligopoly in the presence of foreign private firms. Canad J Econ 29(3): 737–743
Fjell K, Heywood JS (2002) Public Stackelberg leadership in a mixed oligopoly with foreign firms. Aust Econ Papers 41(3): 267–281
Fujiwara K (2006) Trade patterns in an international mixed oligopoly. Econ Bull 6(9): 1–7
Fujiwara K (2007) Partial privatization in a differentiated mixed oligopoly. J Econ 92(1): 51–65
Gil-Moltó MJ, Poyago-Theotoky J (2008) Flexible versus dedicated technology adoption in the presence of a public firm. Southern Econ J 74(4): 997–1016
Heywood JS, Ye G (2009a) Mixed oligopoly, sequential entry, and spatial price discrimination. Econ Inquiry 47(3): 589–597
Heywood JS, Ye G (2009b) Mixed oligopoly and spatial price discrimination with foreign firms. Reg Sci Urban Econ 39(5): 592–601
Heywood JS, Ye G (2009c) Delegation in a mixed oligopoly: the case of multiple private firms. Managerial Decision Econ 30(2): 71–82
Ishibashi I, Matsumura T (2006) R&D competition between public and private sectors. Eur Econ Rev 50(6): 1347–1366
Ishida J, Matsushima N (2009) Should civil servants be restricted in wage bargaining? a mixed-duopoly approach. J Public Econ 93(3-4): 634–646
Lahiri S, Ono Y (1988) Helping minor firms reduces welfare. Econ J 98: 1199–1202
Lahiri S, Ono Y (1995) The role of free entry in an oligopolistic Heckscher-Ohlin model. Int Econ Rev 36(3): 609–624
Lahiri S, Ono Y (1997) Asymmetric oligopoly, international trade, and welfare: a synthesis. J Econ 65(3): 291–310
Lee S-H (2006) Welfare-improving privatization policy in the telecommunications industry. Contemp Econ Policy 24(2): 237–248
Lee S-H, Hwang H-S (2003) Partial ownership for the public firm and competition. Jpn Econ Rev 54(3): 324–335
Lu Y (2006) Endogenous timing in a mixed oligopoly with foreign competitors:the linear demand case. J Econ 88(1): 49–68
Lu Y, Poddar S (2007) Firm ownership, product differentiation and welfare. Manchester Sch 75(2): 210–217
Marjit S, Mukherjee A (2008) International outsourcing and R&D: Long-run implications for consumers. Rev Int Econ 16(5): 1010–1022
Matsumura T (1998) Partial privatization in mixed duopoly. J Public Econ 70(3): 473–483
Matsumura T (2000) Entry regulation and social welfare with an integer problem. J Econ 71(1): 47–58
Matsumura T (2003a) Endogenous role in mixed markets: a two production period model. Southern Econ J 70(2): 403–413
Matsumura T (2003b) Stackelberg mixed duopoly with a foreign competitor. Bull Econ Res 55(3): 275–287
Matsumura T (2003c) Consumer-benefiting exclusive territories. Canad J Econ 36(4): 1007–1025
Matsumura T, Kanda O (2005) Mixed oligopoly at free entry markets. J Econ 84(1): 27–48
Matsumura T, Matsushima N (2004) Endogenous cost differentials between public and private enterprises: a mixed duopoly approach. Economica 71: 671–688
Matsumura T, Matsushima N, Ishibashi I (2009) Privatization and entries of foreign enterprises in a differentiated industry. J Econ 98(3): 203–219
Matsumura T, Ogawa A (2010) On the robustness of private leadership in mixed duopoly. Aust Econ Papers 49(2): 149–160
Matsushima N, Matsumura T (2003) Mixed oligopoly and spatial agglomeration. Canad J Econ 36(1): 62–87
Matsushima N, Matsumura T (2006) Mixed oligopoly, foreign firms, and location choice. Reg Sci Urban Econ 36(6): 753–772
Merrill W, Schneider N (1966) Government firms in oligopoly industries: a short-run analysis. Q J Econ 80(3): 400–412
Mujumdar S, Pal D (1998) Effects of indirect taxation in a mixed oligopoly. Econ Lett 58(2): 199–204
Nett L (1994) Why private firms are more innovative than public firms?. Eur J Polit Econ 10(4): 639–653
Ohori S (2006) Optimal environmental tax and level of privatization in an international duopoly. J Regul Econ 29(2): 225–233
Pal D (1998) Endogenous timing in a mixed oligopoly. Econ Lett 61(2): 181–185
Pal D, White MD (1998) Mixed oligopoly, privatization, and strategic trade policy. Southern Econ J 65(2): 264–281
Stiglitz JE (1988) Economics of the Public Sector, 2nd edn. Norton, New York
Tomaru Y, Kiyono K (2010) Endogenous timing in mixed duopoly with increasing marginal costs. J Inst Theor Econ (forthcoming)
Wang LFS, Chen T-L (2010) Do cost efficiency gap and foreign competitors matter concerning optimal privatization policy at the free entry market?. J Econ 100(1): 33–49
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ino, H., Matsumura, T. What role should public enterprises play in free-entry markets?. J Econ 101, 213–230 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-010-0153-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-010-0153-0