Does the pattern of density dependence in organizational mortality rates vary across levels of analysis? evidence from the German brewing industry

Abstract Using life-history data on all Bavarian breweries over the period 1900–1981, we find that state-level density dependence in mortality rates conforms to the pattern found at the national level. The effects of state-level and national organizational density primarily reflect the “competition” phase of industry evolution. Brewery mortality rates in the largest cities do not exhibit any city-level density dependence. However, breweries located in the five largest Bavarian cities exert competitive pressures on the entire organizational population whereas rural/small-town breweries generate mutualistic effects. The results emphasize the importance of identifying the levels of analysis at which Hannan's (1986) model of density-dependent evolution in organizational populations applies.