Market structure and competition in the healthcare industry. Results from a transition economy

Martin Lábaj, Peter Silanic, Christoph Weiss, Biliana Yontcheva

Publication: Scientific journalJournal articlepeer-review

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Abstract

The present paper provides first empirical evidence on the relationship between market size and the number of firms in the
healthcare industry for a transition economy. We estimate market-size thresholds required to support different numbers of
suppliers (firms) for three occupations in the healthcare industry in a large number of distinct geographic markets in Slovakia,
taking into account the spatial interaction between local markets. The empirical analysis is carried out for three time periods
(1995, 2001 and 2010) which characterise different stages of the transition process. Our results suggest that the relationship
between market size and the number of firms differs both across industries and across periods. In particular, we find that
pharmacies, as the only completely liberalised market in our dataset, experience the largest change in competitive behaviour
during the transition process. Furthermore, we find evidence for correlation in entry decisions across administrative borders,
suggesting that future market analysis should aim to capture these regional effects.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1087 - 1110
JournalEuropean Journal of Health Economics
Volume19
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Austrian Classification of Fields of Science and Technology (ÖFOS)

  • 502025 Econometrics
  • 507023 Location development
  • 502013 Industrial economics

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