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Cournot vs. Walras: A reappraisal through simulations

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  • Alós-Ferrer, Carlos
  • Buckenmaier, Johannes

Abstract

Best-reply behavior in Cournot oligopolies generally leads to Cournot-Nash equilibrium, but imitative behavior selects the Walrasian equilibrium as the unique stochastically stable state. Previous work (Alós-Ferrer, 2004) showed that in the presence of memory, imitative behavior leads to a non-trivial dynamics selecting all quantities between the Cournot and Walrasian outcomes. However, the scope of previous results was limited to specific assumptions on demand and cost functions, and did not provide information on the shape of the distribution of outcomes. We use computational simulations to address these limitations. We show that the selection result for non-trivial memory holds beyond the set of well-behaved Cournot games previously analyzed. Further, we find that, in Cournot games, the limit distribution of long-run outcomes is highly skewed towards the Walrasian quantity. Although longer memory increases the importance of the Cournot equilibrium, the competitive outcome remains the dominant prediction.

Suggested Citation

  • Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Buckenmaier, Johannes, 2017. "Cournot vs. Walras: A reappraisal through simulations," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 257-272.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:82:y:2017:i:c:p:257-272
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2017.07.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Leininger, Wolfgang & Moghadam, Hamed Markazi, 2018. "Asymmetric oligopoly and evolutionary stability," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 1-9.
    3. Shi, Fei & Zhang, Boyu, 2019. "Cournot competition, imitation, and information networks," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 83-85.
    4. Yasuhiro Shirata, 2020. "Evolution of a Collusive Price in a Networked Market," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 528-554, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Memory; Imitation; Mutation; Simulation; Cournot; Walras;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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