Competition Policy and Exit Rates : Evidence from Switzerland

This paper provides evidence on the relation between the intensity of product-market competition and the probability of exit. We adopt a natural experiment approach to analyze the impact of a tightening of Swiss antitrust legislation on exit probabilities. Based on a sample of more than 68,000 firms from all major sectors of the Swiss economy, we find that the exit probability of non-exporting firms increased significantly, whereas the exit probability of exporting firms remained largely unaffected. Our results support the notion that there is a positive relationship between the intensity of product-market competition and the probability of exit