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When the Baby Cries at Night: Inelastic Buyers in Non-Competitive Markets

Author

Listed:
  • Calzolari, Giacomo

    (University of Bologna)

  • Ichino, Andrea

    (European University Institute)

  • Manaresi, Francesco

    (OECD)

  • Nellas, Viki

    (University of Bologna)

Abstract

We investigate empirically how sellers react to changes in the population of their consumers, identifying the effects of demand composition and demand size with limited information on costs. We show how pharmacists in Italy selectively increase the price of some products when they observe in their cities an exogenous influx of parents of newborns, conceivably less elastic buyers as compared with other more experienced and less pressed consumers. Exploiting population based laws that fix the number of pharmacies in a city, we use RDD to measure the effect of competition on sellers' ability to extract surplus from less elastic buyers.

Suggested Citation

  • Calzolari, Giacomo & Ichino, Andrea & Manaresi, Francesco & Nellas, Viki, 2014. "When the Baby Cries at Night: Inelastic Buyers in Non-Competitive Markets," IZA Discussion Papers 8490, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8490
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sauro Mocetti, 2014. "Dynasties in professions: the role of rents," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 995, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    2. Mocetti, Sauro, 2016. "Dynasties in professions and the role of rents and regulation: Evidence from Italian pharmacies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 1-10.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    demand elasticity; consumer's information; price competition; pharmacies; regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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