Incomplete Contracts and Industrial Organization: A Survey

48 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2012

See all articles by Patrick Legros

Patrick Legros

Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) - European Center for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics (ECARES); Northeastern University, department of economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Andrew F. Newman

Boston University - Department of Economics

Date Written: October 16, 2011

Abstract

While most researchers in industrial organization agree that the neoclassical, cost-minimizing, unitary, view of the firm is restrictive, it is still the main object of anlysis in the literature. We review the literature in industrial organization and the place occupied by a richer view of the firm both before and after Grossman & Hart (1986) (GH). Before GH, integration was viewed as a way to alleviate hold-up problems, agency or market power distorsions; GH pointed out that integration and ownership reallocation create their own incentive problems. We show how this insight can enrich the usual analysis of firms with market power but also opens the door for a rich set of questions in more competitive environments.

Keywords: industrial organization, ownership, incomplete contracting

Suggested Citation

Legros, Patrick and Newman, Andrew F., Incomplete Contracts and Industrial Organization: A Survey (October 16, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2028536 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2028536

Patrick Legros (Contact Author)

Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) - European Center for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics (ECARES) ( email )

Ave. Franklin D Roosevelt, 50 - C.P. 114
Brussels, B-1050
Belgium
+32 2 650 4219/3 (Phone)
+32 2 650 4475 (Fax)

Northeastern University, department of economics ( email )

301 Lake Hall
Boston, MA 02115
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Andrew F. Newman

Boston University - Department of Economics ( email )

270 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
United States
617-358-4354 (Phone)
617-353-4143 (Fax)

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