Acquisitions, Entry, and Innovation in Network Industries

53 Pages Posted: 13 Aug 2013

See all articles by Pehr-Johan Norbäck

Pehr-Johan Norbäck

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)

Lars Persson

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Joacim Tåg

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN); Hanken School of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 2013

Abstract

In industries with network effects, incumbents’ installed bases create barriers to entry that discourage entrepreneurs from developing new innovations. Yet, entry is not the only commercialization route for entrepreneurs. We show that the option of selling to an incumbent increases innovation incentives for entrepreneurs when network effects are strong and incumbents compete to preemptively acquire innovations. We thus establish that network effects and installed bases do not necessarily restrict innovation incentives. We also show that network effects promote acquisitions over entry and that the entrepreneur has strong incentives to invest in the initial user base of the innovation.

Keywords: acquisitions, entry, innovation, network effects, R&D

JEL Classification: L10, L15, L26, L50, O31

Suggested Citation

Norbäck, Pehr-Johan and Persson, Lars and Tåg, Joacim, Acquisitions, Entry, and Innovation in Network Industries (August 2013). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP9585, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2309229

Pehr-Johan Norbäck (Contact Author)

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

Lars Persson

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Joacim Tåg

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

Hanken School of Economics ( email )

PB 287
Helsinki, Vaasa 65101
Finland

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
0
Abstract Views
688
PlumX Metrics