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Contracts as a Barrier to Entry in Markets with Nonpivotal Buyers

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  • Özlem Bedre-Defolie
  • Gary Biglaiser

Abstract

Considering markets with nonpivotal buyers, we analyze the anticompetitive effects of breakup fees used by an incumbent facing a more efficient entrant in the future. Buyers differ in their intrinsic switching costs. Breakup fees are profitably used to foreclose entry, regardless of the entrant's efficiency advantage or level of switching costs. Banning breakup fees is beneficial to consumers. The ban enhances the total welfare unless the entrant's efficiency is close to the incumbent's. Inefficient foreclosure arises not because of rent shifting from the entrant, but because the incumbent uses a long-term contract to manipulate consumers' expected surplus from not signing it.

Suggested Citation

  • Özlem Bedre-Defolie & Gary Biglaiser, 2017. "Contracts as a Barrier to Entry in Markets with Nonpivotal Buyers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(7), pages 2041-2071, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:107:y:2017:i:7:p:2041-71
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.20151710
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph Cullen & Nicolas Schutz & Oleksandr Shcherbakov, 2020. "The Welfare Effects of Early Termination Fees in the US Wireless Industry," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_247, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    2. Martimort, David & Pouyet, Jérôme & Trégouët, Thomas, 2021. "Contracts as a barrier to entry: Impact of Buyer’s asymmetric information and bargaining power," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Gavin, Sebnem & Ross, Thomas W., 2018. "Long-term contracts as barriers to entry with differentiated products," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 514-537.
    4. Martimort, David & Pouyet, Jérôme & Trégouët, Thomas, 2021. "Contracts as a barrier to entry: Impact of Buyer’s asymmetric information and bargaining power," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Hong Feng & Youping Li & Jie Shuai, 2023. "Uniform Pricing as a Barrier to Entry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(1), pages 176-191, March.
    6. Claire Chambolle & Hugo Molina, 2021. "A Buyer Power Theory of Exclusive Dealing and Exclusionary Bundling," Working Papers hal-03231803, HAL.
    7. Dawen Meng & Guoqiang Tian, 2021. "The competitive and welfare effects of long-term contracts with network externalities and bounded rationality," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 72(1), pages 337-375, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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