We study the effects of competition on loan rates and portfolio-at-risk in microcredit markets using a new database from rating agencies, covering 379 microbanks located in 67 countries between 2002 and 2008. Our study reveals different competitive effects in nonprofit and for-profit microbanks....

This unique study examines the interactive role of bank competition and foreign bank entry in explaining the risk-taking of banks over the globe. We used cross-country data for the banking sector from 2000 to 2016. Using the pooled regression model and Two-stage Least Squares model (2SLS with...

We study the effects of competition on loan rates and portfolio-at-risk in microcredit markets using a new database from rating agencies, covering 379 microbanks located in 67 countries between 2002 and 2008. Our study reveals different competitive effects in nonprofit and for-profit microbanks....

This working paper forms part of South Africa's contributions to the BRICS Joint Working Group on Food and Agro-processing's overarching report on ‘The Global Food Value Chain and Competition Law and Policy in BRICS countries'. Constituted by the competition authorities of the BRICS countries,...

How should multilateral trade policy be designed in a world in which countries differ in terms of market access and technology, and firms with market power differ in terms of productivity? We answer this question in a model of monopolistic competition in which variable markups increasing in firm...

This working paper forms part of South Africa's contributions to the BRICS Joint Working Group on Food and Agro-processing's overarching report on ‘The Global Food Value Chain and Competition Law and Policy in BRICS countries'. Constituted by the competition authorities of the BRICS countries,...

Using a new firm-level dataset on private and listed firms from 20 countries, we documentfive stylized facts on market power in global markets. First, competition has declinedaround the world, measured as a moderate increase in average firm markups during 2000-2015. Second, the markup increase...

This paper develops a proxy measure of the inequality of influence on the basis of survey evidence from 2002 Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) conducted among 6,500 firms in 27 transition countries. We refer to the resulting inequality as crony bias in the political...

The effects of mergers on the media marketplace have historically failed to live up to dire predictions. Mergers are often a response to technological upheaval and turbulence in the media industry and firms should be allowed to experiment with such alternative business models with the intent on...

U.S. industries are facing intense pressures to become more energy efficient, driven by the need to lower the carbon footprints of energy-intensive sectors and to achieve energy security. A successful transition to a new era of efficient, low-carbon electricity production and usage will require...