This paper provides a systematic empirical analysis of the effects of merger and acquisitionactivity on profitability and firm level employee remuneration in the United Kingdom, using a speciallyconstructed database for the period 1979-1991...

We challenge the common wisdom that patent protection (compared to no or weak patent protection) makes the consumers worse off by reducing product-market competition unless it increases innovation significantly. We show that the absence of patent protection may encourage horizontal merger and...