Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/3803 
Year of Publication: 
2006
Series/Report no.: 
European Economy - Economic Papers No. 242
Publisher: 
European Commission, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels
Abstract: 
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have increased dramatically over the last two decades. This paper analyses the role of trade costs in explaining the increase in both the number and the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In particular, we distinguish horizontal and non-horizontal M&As and investigate whether distance and trade policy barriers affect these two types of mergers differently. We analyse this question using industry data for 23 OECD countries for the period 1990-2001. Our findings suggest that while in the aggregate trade costs affect cross-border merger activity negatively its impact differs importantly across horizontal and non-horizontal mergers. The impact of trade costs is less negative for horizontal mergers, which is consistent with the tariff-jumping argument.
Subjects: 
mergers and acquisitions
international trade
trade costs
gravity
FDI
JEL: 
F02
F15
F21
F23
ISBN: 
9279011839
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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