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Markets for information: Of inefficient firewalls and efficient monopolies

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  • Cabrales, Antonio
  • Gottardi, Piero

Abstract

In this paper we study market environments where information is costly to acquire and is also useful to potential competitors. Agents may sell, or buy, reports over the information acquired and choose their trades in the market on the basis of what they learnt. Reports are unverifiable – cheap talk messages – hence the quality of the information transmitted depends on the conflicts of interest faced by the senders. We find that, when information has a prevalent horizontal differentiation component, in equilibrium information is acquired when its costs are not too high and in that case it is also sold, though reports are typically noisy. The market for information is in most cases a monopoly, and there is underinvestment in information acquisition. We also show that regulatory interventions, in the form of firewalls, only make the inefficiency worse. Efficiency can be attained with a monopolist selling differentiated information, provided entry is blocked.

Suggested Citation

  • Cabrales, Antonio & Gottardi, Piero, 2014. "Markets for information: Of inefficient firewalls and efficient monopolies," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 24-44.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:83:y:2014:i:c:p:24-44
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2013.10.008
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    Cited by:

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    2. Andrea Galeotti & Sanjeev Goyal, 2010. "The Law of the Few," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(4), pages 1468-1492, September.
    3. Cabrales, Antonio & Feri, Francesco & Gottardi, Piero & Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A., 2020. "Can there be a market for cheap-talk information? An experimental investigation," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 368-381.
    4. Aaron S. Edlin, 1997. "Is the Corner Electronics Store Violationg the Antitrust Laws? (or Why the Good Guys Aren't)," Levine's Working Paper Archive 1009, David K. Levine.
    5. Galeotti, Andrea & Goyal, Sanjeev, 2007. "The Law of the Few," Economics Discussion Papers 2981, University of Essex, Department of Economics.
    6. Cabrales, Antonio & Feri, Francesco & Gottardi, Piero & Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A., 2021. "Communication and social preferences: an experimental analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 15711, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Cabrales, Antonio; Feri, Francesco; Gottardi, Piero; Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A., 2016. "Can there be a market for cheap-talk information? Some experimental evidence," Economics Working Papers ECO2016/07, European University Institute.
    8. Viola Chen, 2008. "Essays in Applied Theory," Levine's Working Paper Archive 122247000000002243, David K. Levine.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information sale; Cheap talk; Conflicts of interest; Information acquisition; Firewalls; Market efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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