Michael Irlacher
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
Michael Irlacher
@michaelirlacher.bsky.social
Associate Professor JKU Linz | Previously LMU Munich | Affiliate CESifoNetwork | International Economics, IO, Labor

https://sites.google.com/site/irlachermichael/home
Many thanks Daniel!
August 12, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Read the full paper here: [https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/doi/10.1162/rest.a.255/131619/Multiproduct-Firms-Horizontal-Mergers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext]
August 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
7/ Bottom line: mergers between large multiproduct firms don’t just shift market shares—they reshape product portfolios, sharpen focus on core strengths, and boost international competitiveness. These within-firm reallocations matter for trade, consumer choice, and competition policy.
August 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
6/ To explain this, we build a model of mergers between oligopolistic multiproduct firms. It shows how mergers trigger within-firm reallocations that improve efficiency and expand international reach.
August 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
5/ We find: the combined domestic product range falls, sales become more concentrated on the core product, but the acquirer expands abroad—exporting more products to more, often distant, markets.
August 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM