This dissertation consists of three essays that study mergers and consolidation in the Canadian cable television industry. The first essay provides a historical overview of regulatory and technical change in the industry, and presents the dataset that I constructed for this study. The basic pattern of interest in the data is regional consolidation, where dominant cable companies grow over time by acquiring the cablesystems of small cable operators. I perform a reduced-form empirical analysis that formally studies the determinants of mergers, and the effect that acquisitions have on cable bundles offered to consumers. The remaining essays develop and estimate structural econometric models to further study the determinants and welfare consequences of mergers in the industry. The second essay estimates an empirical analogue of the Farrell and Scotchmer (1988) coalition- formation game. I use the estimated model to measure the equilibrium impact that economies of scale and agglomeration has on firms’ acquisition incentives. I also study the impact entry and merger subsidies have on consolidation and long-run market structure. The final chapter estimates a variant of the Rochet and Stole (2002) model of multi-product monopoly with endogenous quality and prices. Using the estimated model I compute the impact mergers have on welfare. I find that both consumer and producer surplus rise with acquisitions. I also show that accounting for changes both in prices and products (i.e., cable bundle quality) is important for measuring the welfare impact of mergers. / Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2010-12-09 14:39:15.431

由於人口快速成長使得土地開發行為頻繁，都市在面臨土地開發不公平與無效率，以及可預見未來都市建設財政更行拮据的情況下，提昇都市環境品質的理想似乎遙不可及，因此，針對都市土地開發所面臨的課題，如何建立一套公共設施費用負擔的制度，實刻不容緩。而美國地方政府所實施之土地開發衝擊費制度為都市成長管理之一種策略，隱含都市成長付費及使用者付費理念，似可引入我國都市土地開發系統中，此乃本研究之出發點。 　　本研究之進行，主要針對都市土地開發過程中，透過相關理論、制度探討，從其中檢討開發管制之缺失，並介紹美國土地開發衝擊費制度實施經驗，以其為基礎建立都市成長付費應有之觀念和原則。同時，並透過影響地方公共支出之各種因素分析及市鄉鎮長問卷調查，瞭解人口規模對公共支出的影響效果及市鄉鎮長對土地開發衝擊費之態度。最後，從公平、效率、財政及行政的觀點，探討其在臺灣地區實施之可行性。 　　在問卷調查的結果上，市鄉鎮財政明顯困難，且強烈希望有獨立課稅權；對於課徵土地開發衝擊費則偏向肯定的態度。在公共支出的實證分析上，本研究發現人口規模對地方公共支出有規模經濟與不經濟的現象，其可作為課徵土地開發衝擊費之基礎，而已達規模不經濟之都市，為較適合的實施對象。 　　在可行性分析上，本研究認為必須以立法依據為先決條件，透過合理關聯之計算、具有公信力之仲裁，以及會計支出之有效規範，才能使該制度順推動。 / Rapid population growth results in frequent land development. Improvement of the quality of urban environment seems to be a remote dream due to the unfair and inefficient urban land development and insufficient urban construction expenditures. In this connection, when facing urban land development problem, establishment of a system of sharing the expenditure of public facility construction warrants no delay. The land development impact fees implemented in the local government of the U.S., being a strategy of urban growth management embodies the idea of paying for growth and user charge. This measure deserves to be introduced into our urban land development system for reference and this is also the main starting-point of this study. 　　In the process of this study,its main stress is focused on evaluation of the drawbacks of development control through related and system and introduction of development impact fees system and implementing experience of the U.S.land development into ours. On the basis of that system and experience,the idea of paying for growth and user charge can be established.At the same time, through the analysis of factories of factories affecting local public expenditure and the investigations on questionnaires of chiefs,mayors and magistrates of cities and counties,the impact of population scale on local public expenditures and attitude of these mayors and magistrates toward the land development impact fees can be understood. Finally, whether the above-mentioned U.S.system can be implemented in our country can be examined through fairness, efficiency,financial and administrative points of views. 　　In the results of questionnaires, financial difficulty and strong intentions on independent tax-levying authority were expressed by city and villages.They also expressed a positive attitude of levying the development impact fees.When analyzing the actual case of public expenditures,this study finds out that population scale can results in economics of scale and diseconomics of scale in local public expenditures. This can be served as the basis of levying of land development impact fees and those cities of diseconomies will be suited for implementation. 　　In the analysis on its feasibility,this study considers that the legislation is prerequisite and this system can be implemented through rational nexus calculation, a credit arbitration and defective regulation of accounting expenditure.