Bailouts in a common market: a strategic approach

Governments in the EU grant Rescue and Restructure Subsidies to bail out ailing firms. In an international asymmetric Cournot duopoly we study effects of such subsidies on market structure and welfare. We adopt a common market setting, where consumers from the two countries form one market. We show that the subsidy is positive also when it fails to prevent the exit. The reason is a strategic effect, which forces the more efficient firm to make additional cost-reducing effort. When the exit is prevented, allocative and productive efficiencies are lower and the only gaining player is the rescued firm.subsidies; asymmetric oligopoly; exit; European Union

A note on reserve price commitments in the Vickrey auction

This note provides a simple explanation why sellers rarely set optimal reserve prices in one-shot auctions. In a standard sealed-bid second-price auction, bidders with private values do not bid truthfully if the seller cannot commit to her announced reserve price. Consequently, expected revenue may be lower than without the announcement of a reserve price.Vickrey auction; reserve price; commitment

Bailouts in a Common Market: A Strategic Approach

Governments in the EU grant Rescue and Restructure Subsidies to bail out ailing firms. In an international asymmetric Cournot duopoly we study effects of such subsidies on market structure and welfare. We adopt a common market setting, where consumers from the two countries form one market. We show that the subsidy is positive also when it fails to prevent the exit. The reason is a strategic effect, which forces the more efficient firm to make additional costreducing effort. When the exit is prevented, allocative and productive efficiencies are lower and the only gaining player is the rescued firm. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Bail-out in gemeinsamen Märkten: Ein strategischer Ansatz) Die Regierungen der EU gewähren staatliche Beihilfe zur Rettung und Umstrukturierung von Unternehmen in Schwierigkeiten. In einem internationalen asymmetrischen Cournot-Duopol werden die Wohlfahrtseffekte und die Konsequenzen solcher Beihilfe für die Marktstruktur analysiert. Grundannahme ist ein gemeinsamer Markt, auf dem Verbraucher aus zwei Ländern zusammenkommen. Es wird gezeigt, dass die optimale Beihilfe positiv ist, auch wenn der Marktaustritt einer Firma nicht verhindert werden kann. Der Grund hierfür ist ein strategischer Effekt, der die effizientere Firma zu einer zusätzlichen kostenreduzierenden Maßnahme veranlasst. Wird der Marktaustritt verhindert, sind Allokations- und Produktionseffizienzen geringer, und der einzige aufholende Teilnehmer ist die gerettete Firma.subsidies, asymmetric oligopoly, exit, European Union

Bailouts in a common market: a strategic approach

"Die Regierungen der EU gewähren staatliche Beihilfe zur Rettung und Umstrukturierung von Unternehmen in Schwierigkeiten. In einem internationalen asymmetrischen Cournot-Duopol werden die Wohlfahrtseffekte und die Konsequenzen solcher Beihilfe für die Marktstruktur analysiert. Grundannahme ist ein gemeinsamer Markt, auf dem Verbraucher aus zwei Ländern zusammenkommen. Es wird gezeigt, dass die optimale Beihilfe positiv ist, auch wenn der Marktaustritt einer Firma nicht verhindert werden kann. Der Grund hierfür ist ein strategischer Effekt, der die effizientere Firma zu einer zusätzlichen kostenreduzierenden Maßnahme veranlasst. Wird der Marktaustritt verhindert, sind Allokations- und Produktionseffizienzen geringer, und der einzige aufholende Teilnehmer ist die gerettete Firma." (Autorenreferat)"Governments in the EU grant Rescue and Restructure Subsidies to bail out ailing firms. In an international asymmetric Cournot duopoly we study effects of such subsidies on market structure and welfare. We adopt a common market setting, where consumers from the two countries form one market. We show that the subsidy is positive also when it fails to prevent the exit. The reason is a strategic effect, which forces the more efficient firm to make additional costreducing effort. When the exit is prevented, allocative and productive efficiencies are lower and the only gaining player is the rescued firm." (author's abstract

Effectiveness of bailouts in the EU

Governments in the EU frequently bail out firms in distress by granting state aid. I use data from 86 cases during the years 1995-2003 to examine two issues: the effectiveness of bailouts in preventing bankruptcy and the determinants of bailout policy. The results are threefold. First, the estimated discrete-time hazard rate increases during the first four years after the subsidy and drops after that, suggesting that some bailouts only delayed exit instead of preventing it. The number of failing bailouts could be reduced if European control was tougher. Second, governments’ bailout decisions favored state-owned firms, even though state-owned firms did not outperform private ones in the survival chances. Third, subsidy choice is an endogenous variable in the analysis of the hazard rate. Treating it as exogenous underestimates its impact on the bankruptcy probability. Several policy implications of the results are discussed in the paper.State aid; European Union; Discrete-time hazard; Bivariate probit

Effectiveness of Bailouts in the EU

Governments in the EU frequently bail out firms in distress by granting state aid. I use data from 86 cases during the years 1995-2003 to examine two issues: the impact of bailouts on bankruptcy probability and the determinants of bailout policy. I have three main results. First, the estimated discrete-time hazard rate increases during the first four years after the subsidy and drops after that, suggesting that some bailouts only delayed exit instead of preventing it. The number of failing bailouts could be reduced if European control was tougher. Second, governments’ bailout decisions favored public firms, even though public firms did not outperform private ones in the survival chances. Third, subsidy choice is an endogenous variable in the analysis of the hazard rate. Treating it as exogenous underestimates its impact on the bankruptcy probability. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Die Wirksamkeit von Beihilfe in der EU) Europäische Unternehmen, die in Schwierigkeiten geraten sind, werden regelmäßig von den Regierungen in der EU durch Rettungs- und Restrukturierungsbeihilfen (R&R-Beihilfen) unterstützt. Im vorliegenden Paper werden 86 von der Europäischen Kommission überprüfte Fälle von R&RBeihilfen zwischen 1995 und 2003 herangezogen, um zwei Probleme zu untersuchen: die Auswirkung von R&R-Beihilfen auf die Bankrotthäufigkeit und die bestimmenden Faktoren für Subventionspolitik der Regierungen. Dabei kommt die Studie zu drei Ergebnissen. Es zeigt sich, dass sich die geschätzte Bankrottwahrscheinlichkeit während der ersten vier Jahre nach der Beihilfe erhöht und danach sinkt. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass einige Beihilfen den Marktaustritt nur verzögern, anstatt ihn zu verhindern. Die Zahl der Firmen, die erfolglos Beihilfe bekommen, könnte durch eine strengere europäische Beihilfekontrolle verringert werden. Das zweite Ergebnis besagt, dass die Regierungen bei der Beihilfevergabe staatliche Unternehmen bevorzugt haben, obwohl staatliche Unternehmen gegenüber den privaten keine bessere Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit haben. Drittens ist die Beihilfewahl eine endogene Variable in der Analyse der Bankrottwahrscheinlichkeit. Sie als exogen zu behandeln bedeutet, ihre Auswirkung auf die Bankrottwahrscheinlichkeit zu unterschätzen.AState aid, European Union, Discrete-time hazard, Bivariate probit

A note on reserve price commitments in the Vickrey auction

This note provides a simple explanation why sellers rarely set optimal reserve prices in one-shot auctions. In a standard sealed-bid second-price auction, bidders with private values do not bid truthfully if the seller cannot commit to her announced reserve price. Consequently, expected revenue may be lower than without the announcement of a reserve price

Bailouts in a common market: a strategic approach

Governments in the EU grant Rescue and Restructure Subsidies to bail out ailing firms. In an international asymmetric Cournot duopoly we study effects of such subsidies on market structure and welfare. We adopt a common market setting, where consumers from the two countries form one market. We show that the subsidy is positive also when it fails to prevent the exit. The reason is a strategic effect, which forces the more efficient firm to make additional cost-reducing effort. When the exit is prevented, allocative and productive efficiencies are lower and the only gaining player is the rescued firm

Effectiveness of bailouts in the EU

Governments in the EU frequently bail out firms in distress by granting state aid. I use data from 86 cases during the years 1995-2003 to examine two issues: the effectiveness of bailouts in preventing bankruptcy and the determinants of bailout policy. The results are threefold. First, the estimated discrete-time hazard rate increases during the first four years after the subsidy and drops after that, suggesting that some bailouts only delayed exit instead of preventing it. The number of failing bailouts could be reduced if European control was tougher. Second, governments’ bailout decisions favored state-owned firms, even though state-owned firms did not outperform private ones in the survival chances. Third, subsidy choice is an endogenous variable in the analysis of the hazard rate. Treating it as exogenous underestimates its impact on the bankruptcy probability. Several policy implications of the results are discussed in the paper