We propose to estimate strategic interaction effects between general practitioners (GPs) and different specialist types to evaluate the viability threat for specialists associated to the introduction of a mandatory referral scheme. That is, we show that the specialists' loss of patientele when...

This paper examines the role of both cost-sharing schemes in health insurance systems and entry regulation for pharmaceutical R&D expenditure, drug prices, aggregate productivity, and income. The analysis suggests that both an increase in the coinsurance rate and stricter price regulations...

Since the mid-1970s, firm entry rates in the United States have declined significantly. This also holds for other OECD countries over the past years. At the same time, these economies experienced a gradual process of population aging. Applying a tractable life-cycle model with endogenous firm...

The paper investigates dynamic linkages between entry and exit rates in Brazilian manufacturing in the context of 231 (4-digits) industries during the 1996-2005 period. The empirical analysis focuses on the estimation of a dynamic panel data for entry and exit rates and controls for the business...

We model decisions with respect to formality or informality for entrepreneurs in a new industry for a developing economy. We show that informality allows a leader to explore, without significant sunk costs, the potential profitability of the industry; that is, informality may be a stepping...

This paper attempts to assess the variety and relevance of barriers to entry perceived by Portuguese firms. Based on a questionnaire, Portuguese firms' perceptions were surveyed using a sample of 168 firms. The results suggest that sunk costs, capital requirements, capital costs, and cost...

We focus on the estimation of market entry costs that are declining over time and evaluate their impact on competition and market performance. We employ a dynamic oligopoly model in which firms make entry, exit, and production decisions in the presence of declining entry costs and learning by...

Ease of entry is crucial to well-functioning electricity markets. This paper investigates the patterns of entry in the generation segment of the electricity industry of OECD countries and seeks to provide an understanding of their key determinants. It aims to derive implications for the design...

In this paper, we review the literature on declining business dynamism and its implications in the United States and propose a unifying theory to analyze the symptoms and the potential causes of this decline. We first highlight 10 pronounced stylized facts related to declining business dynamism...

In this article we propose an innovative way of delineating geographical markets based on easily accessible data. We apply this concept for the day care industry and investigate providers' location choices relative to local market characteristics to evaluate the widespread presumption that local...