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Welfare-increasing third-degree price discrimination

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  • Simon Cowan

Abstract

The welfare and output effects of monopoly third-degree price discrimination are analyzed when inverse demand functions are parallel. Welfare is higher with discrimination than with a uniform price when demand functions are derived from the logistic distribution, and from a more general class of distributions. The sufficient condition in Varian (1985) for a welfare increase holds for these demand functions. Total output is higher with discrimination for a large set of demand functions including those derived from strictly log-concave distributions with increasing cost pass-through, such as the normal, logistic and extreme value, and standard log-convex demands.
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  • Simon Cowan, 2016. "Welfare-increasing third-degree price discrimination," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 47(2), pages 326-340, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:randje:v:47:y:2016:i:2:p:326-340
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/rand.2016.47.issue-2
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    Cited by:

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    2. Takanori Adachi & Muhammad Michal Fabinger, 2017. "Multi-Dimensional Pass-Through, Incidence, and the Welfare Burden of Taxation in Oligopoly," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-1040, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    3. Joseph E. Harrington, 2022. "The Effect of Outsourcing Pricing Algorithms on Market Competition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6889-6906, September.
    4. Shota Ichihashi, 2020. "Online Privacy and Information Disclosure by Consumers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(2), pages 569-595, February.
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    6. Kai Hao Yang & Philipp Strack, 2023. "Privacy Preserving Signals," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2379, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    7. Tuo Wang & Michael Y. Hu, 2019. "Differential pricing with consumers’ valuation uncertainty by a monopoly," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(3), pages 247-255, June.
    8. Takanori Adachi & Michal Fabinger, 2017. "Multi-Dimensional Pass-Through and Welfare Measures under Imperfect Competition," Papers 1702.04967, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2018.
    9. Aguirre, Iñaki, 2019. "Oligopoly price discrimination, competitive pressure and total output," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 13, pages 1-16.
    10. Jong-Hee Hahn & Chan KIm, 2018. "Input price discrimination with differentiated final products," Working papers 2018rwp-118, Yonsei University, Yonsei Economics Research Institute.
    11. Markus Dertwinkel‐Kalt & Christian Wey, 2023. "Third‐Degree Price Discrimination in Oligopoly when Markets are Covered," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 464-490, June.
    12. John Vickers, 2020. "Direct Welfare Analysis of Relative Price Regulation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 40-51, March.
    13. repec:cwl:cwldpp:1896rrr is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Li, Youping & Zhang, Jianhu, 2024. "The welfare effects of input price discrimination revisited," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    15. Alireza Fallah & Michael I. Jordan & Ali Makhdoumi & Azarakhsh Malekian, 2024. "The Limits of Price Discrimination Under Privacy Constraints," Papers 2402.08223, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2024.
    16. Adam N. Elmachtoub & Vishal Gupta & Michael L. Hamilton, 2021. "The Value of Personalized Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(10), pages 6055-6070, October.
    17. Zhu Wang & Julian Wright, 2018. "Should platforms be allowed to charge ad valorem fees?," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 739-760, September.
    18. Czerny, Achim I. & Zhang, Anming, 2014. "Airport congestion pricing when airlines price discriminate," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 77-89.
    19. Takanori Adachi & Michal Fabinger, 2017. "Multi-Dimensional Pass-Through, Incidence, and the Welfare Burden of Taxation in Oligopoly," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-1040, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    20. Miklós-Thal, Jeanine & Shaffer, Greg, 2021. "Third-degree price discrimination in oligopoly with endogenous input costs," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    21. Felipe Avilés-Lucero & Andre Boik, 2018. "Wholesale most-favored-nation clauses and price discrimination with negative consumption externalities: equivalence results," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 266-291, December.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D42 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Monopoly
    • L12 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Monopoly; Monopolization Strategies
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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