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The Economist:
America's uncompetitive markets harm its economy

31 July 2017

New research suggests that too little competition deters investment

Concentration may also hurt workers. Recent research by David Autor of MIT and four co-authors finds that “superstar” firms pay out less of their profits in wages. As these firms have grown in importance, labour’s overall share of GDP has fallen. Other research suggests that these firms nonetheless pay more, in gross terms, than ordinary firms, so their rise has directly contributed to inequality. This does not chime exactly with what Democrats claimed this week—that America’s firms have too much power over workers—but the end result, greater inequality, is similar.

 

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