Lobbying for Regulation Reform by Industry Leaders

We investigate a free-entry market in which incumbents lobby for regulatory changes that affect the cost for all firms equally. First, we investigate a model in which the lobbying affects marginal costs and incumbents produce before followers enter. We find that incumbents have an incentive to weaken or strengthen regulations depending on the simple demand condition. Next, we discuss the case of Cournot competition and illustrate that cost asymmetry may induce incumbents to engage in cost-raising lobbying. Finally, we examine a model in which lobbying affects fixed costs and find that incumbents have an incentive to strengthen regulations unless they are substantially less efficient than followers are.