Do larger firms exert more market power? Markups and markdowns along the size distribution
Several models posit a positive cross-sectional correlation between markups and firm size, which characterizes misallocation, factor shares, and gains from trade. Accounting for labor market power in markup estimation, we find instead that larger firms have lower product markups but higher wage markdowns. The negative markup-size correlation turns positive when conditioning on markdowns, suggesting interactions between product and labor market power. Our findings are robust to common criticism (e.g., price bias, non-neutral technology) and hold across 19 European countries. We discuss possible mechanisms and resulting implications, highlighting the importance of studying input and output market power in a unified framework.
| Item Type | Working paper |
|---|---|
| Copyright holders | © 2023 The Author(s) |
| Departments | LSE > Academic Departments > School of Public Policy |
| Date Deposited | 24 Jan 2024 |
| URI | https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/121283 |
Explore Further
- HC Economic History and Conditions
- HD28 Management. Industrial Management
- HD Industries. Land use. Labor