| Number |
CREPEDP-10 |
| Publication Date |
April 2018 |
| Title |
The Excess Capacity and Effectiveness of Policy
Interventions: Evidence from the Cement Industry
|
| Author(s) |
Tetsuji Okazaki, Ken Onishi, Naoki Wakamori |
| Abstract |
Excess production capacity has been a major concern in many countries, in particular, when an industry faces declining demand. Strategic interaction among firms might delay efficient scrappages of production capacity and policy interventions that eliminate such strategic incentives may improve efficiency. This paper empirically studies the effectiveness of policy interventions in such an environment, using plant-level data on the Japanese cement industry. Our estimation results show that a capacity coordination policy that forces firms to reduce their excessive production capacity simultaneously can effectively reduce excess capacity without distorting firms' scrappage decisions or increasing the market power of the firms. |
| Keywords |
Excess Capacity, Capacity Coordination, Cement, Industrial Policy. |
| Other information |
Paper in English (31 pages) |