- Volume 14 (2015), Issue 2
- Vol. 14 (2015), No. 2
- >
- Pages 271 - 279
- pp. 271 - 279
On the Longer-Term Effects of State Aid on Market Shares
This article discusses the effect of State aid on competition covering a 6-year horizon. Subsidies have a positive effect on market shares within a 2-year time frame, as documented earlier by Buts and Jegers. While one would suppose the effect to diminish over time, we find that the opposite is true. Even after six years, subsidies still have a positive influence on market shares. Taking total subsidies over 6 years into account, market shares are significantly impacted which suggests that competition might be distorted. Up until recently, European State aid control focused on the ex ante evaluation of proposed measures. This article emphasizes the importance of ex post evaluations, studying multiple indicators (positive as well as negative effects of the aid) and especially covering a longer term horizon. Although first effects show after 2 years, the changes in market shares increase and therefore additional evaluations regarding the distortion of competition are useful at different points in time.
Keywords: subsidies; competition; market shares