Market Power and Cartel Formation: Theory and an Empirical Test

Antitrust enforcement makes it difficult to test theories of cartel formation because most attempts to form cartels are blocked. However, federal laws allow U.S. produce growers to operate marketing cartels through devices called marketing orders. These cartels use quantity controls and quality standards to raise prices on fresh produce. Some growers have adopted marketing orders and others have not. This paper develops and tests a positive theory of the adoption of marketing orders. The theory suggests that growers in a region are more likely to adopt a marketing order if the demand for fresh produce is inelastic, the growers’ market share in the fresh market is large, there are barriers to entry and expansion, the fraction of the output the growers ship to the fresh market is not too large or too small, growers are homogeneous, and large cooperatives exist. Probit analyses support these hypotheses.marketing order; cartel; collusion; empirical; agriculture

Market Power and Cartel Formation: Theory and an Empirical Test

Antitrust enforcement makes it difficult to test theories of cartel formation because most attempts to form cartels are blocked. However, federal laws allow U.S. produce growers to operate marketing cartels through devices called marketing orders. These cartels use quantity controls and quality standards to raise prices on fresh produce. Some growers have adopted marketing orders and others have not. This paper develops and tests a positive theory of the adoption of marketing orders. The theory suggests that growers in a region are more likely to adopt a marketing order if the demand for fresh produce is inelastic, the growers' market share in the fresh market is large, there are barriers to entry and expansion, the fraction of the output the growers ship to the fresh market is not too large or too small, growers are homogeneous, and large cooperatives exist. Probit analyses support these hypotheses

Gestion des sols de vergers : panorama des outils et travaux, pistes pour la recherche

Rapport réalisé dans le cadre du GIS FruitsSuite à l’enquête sur les sols de vergers lancée en 2016-2017, le GIS Fruits a lancé une étude pour approfondir et actualiser les bases scientifiques et techniques du maintien de la fertilité des sols de vergers, en lien avec les changements de pratiques (diminution des herbicides, utilisation de diverses formes de matière organique, enherbement permanent, …). Les objectifs du rapport sont : la réalisation d’une synthèse des connaissances scientifiques et techniques sur la fertilité des sols de vergers, la cartographie des recherches existantes et la détermination de priorités de recherche en lien avec les acteurs agricoles