Markets, Corporate Behaviour and the State. International Aspects of Industrial Organization

Abstract

One Conceptual and Methodological Problems.- I. The determinants of market structure: designs for research.- 1. An analytical framework.- 2. Previous research on determinants of structure.- 3. Transnational and comparative approaches.- 4. Summary and conclusions.- II. International comparisons in the study of industrial organization.- 1. Sources of variance in studies.- 2. Options and impacts of public policies.- 3. Institutions and the formation of industrial structure.- 4. Determinants and criteria of performance.- 5. Conclusion.- III. Power and competition.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Economic power within competition.- 3. Economic power versus competition.- 4. Conclusions.- Two Concentration, Mergers and Performance in the E.E.C..- I. Concentration, size and performance of European firms.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Firm sizes and concentration.- 3. Plant size distribution.- 4. Effects of industrial concentration.- 5. Size of firms and market performance.- 6. Conclusions.- II. Large and small manufacturing enterprises in Europe and America.- 1. Aggregate industrial concentration in Britain and the United States, 1909-1970.- 2. Large enterprises in Europe.- 3. The number of small firms.- 4. The need for improved statistics on enterprises.- III. Theory and evidence concerning mergers: an international comparison.- 1. Introduction: evidence on merger activity.- 2. Merger characteristics.- 3. Motives for mergers.- 4. Merger theories.- IV. The causes and effects of mergers.- Mergers and changes in industrial concentration.- Causes of the merger wave.- Implications for industrial concentration.- The effects of mergers and some policy considerations.- V. Static and dynamic methods for analysing industrial concentration: the Italian case.- Section 1. A static analysis of the structural inequality.- Section 2. A dynamic analysis of the structural inequality.- Section 3. General commentaries and conclusions.- Three Big Corporations and Market Structures in the U.S..- I. The elements and evolution of market structure.- 1. The context of enterprises.- 2. Concepts of market structure.- 3. Evolution of market structure over time.- 4. Actual context and market structure.- 5. Risk and return.- 6. The rate of decline of market power.- 7. Implications.- II. Private planning and social efficiency.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Horizontally diversified giantism: automobiles.- 3. Vertical giantism: petroleum.- 4. Conglomerate giantism: the firms of the future.- 5. Conclusion.- Four The Impact of the Multinational Corporation.- I. Systemic instability and the global corporation at home: The role of power in economic analysis.- Methodological introduction.- Structural change and the nature of transformation.- The present transformation.- Global corporations and the nature of global corporate competition: policy implications.- The dilemma of national policy-making: the need for planning.- II. Industrial policy and the structural impact of multinational firms: an analytical view.- 1.- A. The Nation State's criteria.- B. The multinational firm's criteria.- 2.- 3.- Conclusion.- Case 1: The French biscuit industry.- Case 2: The French computer industry.- III. Theoretical elements for an introduction to petroleum economics.- 1. The genesis of the oil surplus.- 2. The appropriation of the oil surplus.- Five Some Policy Aspects.- I. Concerted action as an aspect of oligopolistic behaviour and its treatment in competition policy.- Competition policy and the solution to the problem of oligopolistic behavior.- Concluding remarks.- II. Perfect and free competition as guiding principles in competition policy towards large enterprises.- The Bundeskartellamt's policy.- Arguments in favour.- Arguments against ....- Competition: considerations for a well-designed policy.- Conclusion.- III. Industrial structure and price/wage controls: the U.S. experience.- Economic prelude to U.S. controls.- Administrative structure of program.- Basic strategy of regulations.- General price standards.- General pay standards.- Reconciling pay board and price commission standards.- Liaison with other regulatory agencies.- Dash back to the market: phases III-IV.- Results of econometric studies of controls.- Concentration and inflation.- Conclusion.