Industrial organization and The Rise of Market Power

Abstract

This article addresses developments in the literature on The Rise of Market Power. First, it summarizes research about the result of De Loecker et al. (2020) that the sales-weighted average markup has increased in the United States. Second, it summarizes and evaluates a set of industry studies that examine market power over long time horizons in specific settings. A theme that emerges from these industry studies is that technological advancements matter a great deal for the evolution of economic outcomes. By contrast, the studies do not point to weak antitrust enforcement as contributing to greater market power. The article concludes by outlining directions for future research.