Recent research documents the empirical phenomenon of ldquo;sticky costsrdquo; and attributes it to a theory of deliberate managerial decisions in the presence of adjustment costs. We refine this theoretical explanation and show that it gives rise to a more complex pattern of asymmetric cost...

Optimal firm size and patterns of returns to scale among the local exchange companies in the U.S. telecommunications industry are estimated for the years: 1975, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1990. The independent companies display increasing returns to scale, while the Baby Bells display constant...