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PLAMADISO Talk by Annika Stöhr (TU Ilmenau) - 11 July 2024 || Organized by the Research Group “Digital Economy, Internet Ecosystem & Internet Policy” @Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society
Title: Price Effects of Horizontal Mergers - A Retrospective on Retrospectives
Abstract
The comprehensive review of #ex-post #merger studies presented assesses the #priceeffects of horizontal #transactions to determine whether there are common post-merger #price #effects, both overall and in specific #markets with the aim to derive implications for #policy makers and #competition authorities in terms of effective merger enforcement and #competitionpolicy. The review combines and further analyzes the results of 52 retrospective studies on 82 mergers or horizontal transactions. Overall, it will be shown that the sector in which the respective transaction takes place alone is not a strong indicator of the direction of price-related merger effects. In contrast, the ‘size’ or ‘importance’ of a transaction, as well as market concentration seem to be correlated with post-transaction price increases, especially in already highly concentrated markets. The review and presentation are intended to demonstrate the overall importance of ex post evaluations of #antitrust decisions for ex ante competition policy and enforcement.
Link to paper: doi.org/10.109...
BIO:
After studying media economics, Annika Stöhr completed her PhD on “Economic Evaluation and Reform Implications of German Competition Policy” with a focus on merger control and in particular on non-economic effects and so-called public interests that (should) potentially influence competition regulation. Her research generally operates at the intersection of competition economics, competition law and competition policy, under the premise that innovation and dynamism are both facilitators and goals of functioning competition (regulation). Her current work deals with the regulation of large digital ecosystems, e.g. through Section 19a GWB and the DMA and DSA, as well as with the regulation of algorithmic recommender systems in particular.
Her research benefits from more than two years of professional experience at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Since April 2023 she is working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Economic Theory at Ilmenau University of Technology.
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