Growth Through Competition Competition Through Growth

Though competition occupies a prominent place in the history of economic thought, among economists today there is still a limited, and sometimes contradictory, understanding of its impact. In Competition and Growth, Philippe Aghion and Rachel Griffith offer the first serious attempt to provide a unified and coherent account of the effect competition policy and deregulated entry has on economic growth. The book takes the form of a dialogue between an applied theorist calling on "Schumpeterian growth" models and a microeconometrician employing new techniques to gauge competition and entry. In each chapter, theoretical models are systematically confronted with empirical data, which either invalidates the models or suggests changes in the modeling strategy. Aghion and Griffith note a fundamental divorce between theorists and empiricists who previously worked on these questions. On one hand, existing models in industrial organization or new growth economics all predict a negative effect of competition on innovation and growth: namely, that competition is bad for growth because it reduces the monopoly rents that reward successful innovators. On the other hand, common wisdom and recent empirical studies point to a positive effect of competition on productivity growth. To reconcile theory and evidence, the authors distinguish between pre- and post-innovation rents, and propose that innovation may be a way to escape competition, an idea that they confront with microeconomic data. The book's detailed analysis should aid scholars and policy makers in understanding how the benefits of tougher competition can be achieved while at the same time mitigating the negative effects competition and imitation may have on some sectors or industries.

"This book demonstrates the importance of true and fair competition to sustainable development and an effective marketplace, touching on issues of globalization, consumer welfare, cartels and monopolies, and trade liberalization. It provides an introduction to competition, and to competition law and policy in developing countries. It focuses on the practical problems faced in developing countries and the steps that have been and can be taken to overcome those problems. It is about anticompetitive practices as they occur in developing countries and the policies that governments and citizens can promote and implement to limit the impact of such practices." "The book will be of particular interest to consumer groups and NGOs, as well as to government officials, legislators, trade negotiators, and the judiciary. Educators, students, development professionals, and business groups will also find the book useful."--BOOK JACKET.

This book examines two central aspects of Japanese management - growth pursuit by internal investment (as opposed to acquisition), and intensive competition within and between Japanese firms. It also looks at how Japanese firms maintain efficiency and flexibility under the apparently rigid system of 'lifetime' employment. The author begins by enquiring in to the financial and human aspects of the firm with a particular emphasis placed on the human side. T he motivation, behaviour, and organization of Japanese management are discussed and the consequences of Japan's management system on its industrial organization and macroeconomy are examined. Throughout the book, it is emphasized that competition is at the heart of the Japanese economy and management to the same, if not to a greater degreee than in the West. This competition is enhanced by the growth preference of Japanese management, and competition in turn makes growth feasible.

Hunt convincingly demonstrates that competition is not about dividing up limited resources but about creating more resources and thus competition is pro-society. This truly interdisciplinary book successfully develops a general theory of competition which is rich in explanatory breadth and depth. Consequently, executives and entrepreneuers, management consultants, public makers, and scholars and students in economics, law, political science, and business should read and study this book. —Robert F. Lusch, University of Oklahoma This book develops a new theory of competition. This theory – labeled "resource-advantage theory" – stems from no single research tradition, but draws on several different traditions in economics, management, marketing, and sociology. In this ground-breaking volume, Shelby Hunt articulates R-A theory, uses the theory to explain and predict economic phenomena, and shows how (and why) it explains and predicts such phenomena.

Recent developments in economics have gone from the recognition of the importance of innovation for growth and the exploration of innovation mechanisms to the incorporation of the results of the previous research into economic models. An important lesson to be drawn from all this research is that a purely macro-based analysis of growth is not enough. The various mechanisms of innovation creation and diffusion, the importance of agent heterogeneity, of market selection processes, of the internal organization of the firm and of organizational routines, and the obsolescence and the consequent emergence of new types of capital goods are a few examples of micro-economic phenomena that contribute decisively to macro-economic development. The papers in this volume approach those issues from a Schumpeterian point of view and tackle issues like the growing importance of knowledge and human capital; increasing returns and path dependence; the role of variety in economic growth; competition and industry evolution.

American markets, once a model for the world, are giving up on competition. Thomas Philippon blames the unchecked efforts of corporate lobbyists. Instead of earning profits by investing and innovating, powerful firms use political pressure to secure their advantages. The result is less efficient markets, leading to higher prices and lower wages.

Growth and competitive advantage are about effective positioning. Building effective positioning is challenging today for firms facing new and stronger competition, volatile and uncertain markets, and shifting customer desires and demands. The 3-Circle Model facilitates speed of understanding and action by focusing attention on the most critical strategy concepts in this uncertain environment. Growth strategy emerges in the model from systematically addressing four key strategy directives in a deep and disciplined way: define, build, and defend the unique value you create for customers; correct, eliminate, or reveal value that is failing customers or of which they're not aware; potentially neutralize the unique value created for customers by competitors; explore and exploit new growth opportunities through deep understanding of customers' unmet needs.

This volume examines the complexities involved when international co-ordination and harmonization of competition law and policy are considered.