IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/revind/v65y2024i3d10.1007_s11151-024-09989-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Location, Location, Quality:The Fixed Differentiation Principle

Author

Listed:
  • Alon Cohen

    (Open University of Israel)

  • Aviad Heifetz

    (Open University of Israel)

Abstract

This work revisits the classic spatial duopoly location-then-prices competition with quadratic transportation costs, in the presence of vertical differentiation. We show that contrary to the substitutability between horizontal and vertical differentiation that has appeared thus far in the literature, higher-quality asymmetry does not affect locational differentiation in equilibrium. While the better-quality seller indeed approaches the city center, the worse-quality seller is simultaneously driven further away from the city, and ultimately out of the market when quality differences become large enough. Interestingly, although vertical differentiation weakens competition, total welfare increases – even when the better-quality seller ultimately monopolizes the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Alon Cohen & Aviad Heifetz, 2024. "Location, Location, Quality:The Fixed Differentiation Principle," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 65(3), pages 705-720, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revind:v:65:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11151-024-09989-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11151-024-09989-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11151-024-09989-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11151-024-09989-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ching‐Chih Tseng & Wen‐Jung Liang & Kuang‐Cheng Andy Wang, 2010. "Spatial agglomeration with vertical differentiation," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(4), pages 841-858, November.
    2. Gabszewicz, Jean Jaskold & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1986. "On the Nature of Competition with Differentiated Products," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(381), pages 160-172, March.
    3. Dos Santos Ferreira, Rodolphe & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1996. "Horizontal and vertical differentiation: The Launhardt model," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 485-506, June.
    4. Irmen, Andreas & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1998. "Competition in Multi-characteristics Spaces: Hotelling Was Almost Right," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 76-102, January.
    5. Avner Shaked & John Sutton, 1982. "Relaxing Price Competition Through Product Differentiation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 49(1), pages 3-13.
    6. Garella, Paolo G. & Lambertini, Luca, 2014. "Bidimensional vertical differentiation," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Economides, Nicholas, 1989. "Quality variations and maximal variety differentiation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 21-29, February.
    8. d'Aspremont, C & Gabszewicz, Jean Jaskold & Thisse, J-F, 1979. "On Hotelling's "Stability in Competition"," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1145-1150, September.
    9. Economides, Nicholas, 1986. "Minimal and maximal product differentiation in Hotelling's duopoly," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 67-71.
    10. Veendorp, E. C. H. & Majeed, Anjum, 1995. "Differentiation in a two-dimensional market," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 75-83, February.
    11. Mark B. Vandenbosch & Charles B. Weinberg, 1995. "Product and Price Competition in a Two-Dimensional Vertical Differentiation Model," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 224-249.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Barigozzi, Francesca & Ma, Ching-to Albert, 2018. "Product differentiation with multiple qualities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 380-412.
    2. Garella, Paolo G. & Lambertini, Luca, 2014. "Bidimensional vertical differentiation," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-10.
    3. Stefan Roth, 1999. "Möglichkeiten und Grenzen ökonomischer Positionierungsmodelle," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 243-266, March.
    4. Piga, Claudio & Poyago-Theotoky, Joanna, 2005. "Endogenous R&D spillovers and locational choice," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 127-139, March.
    5. P. G. Garella & L. Lambertini, 2008. "Bidimensional quality competition and scope economies," Working Papers 653, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    6. Luca Lambertini & Raimondello Orsini, 2005. "The Existence Of Equilibrium In A Differentiated Duopoly With Network Externalities," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 56(1), pages 55-66, March.
    7. Manfred Stadler, 2019. "Location in a Disk City with Consumer Concentration Around the Center," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 71(1), pages 35-50, February.
    8. José A. Novo-Peteiro, 2020. "Two-dimensional vertical differentiation with attribute dependence," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 149-180, October.
    9. Jing Wu & He Li & Zhangxi Lin & Haichao Zheng, 2017. "Competition in wearable device market: the effect of network externality and product compatibility," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 335-359, September.
    10. Andrea Mangani & Paolo Patelli, 2002. "The Max-Min Principle of Product Differentiation: An Experimental Analysis," LEM Papers Series 2002/05, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    11. Claudio-Pachecano, L. & Larralde, H., 2020. "Agglomeration or separation: Store patterns through an optimal location model," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 542(C).
    12. Degryse, Hans & Irmen, Andreas, 2001. "Attribute dependence and the provision of quality," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 547-569, September.
    13. Olivier Debande & Jean Luc De Meulemeester, 2008. "Quality and variety competition in higher education," DULBEA Working Papers 08-12.RS, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    14. Torbenko, A., 2015. "Linear City Models: Overview and Typology," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 25(1), pages 12-38.
    15. Guo, Wen-Chung & Lai, Fu-Chuan & Zeng, Dao-Zhi, 2015. "A Hotelling model with production," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 40-49.
    16. Heijnen, Pim & Soetevent, Adriaan R., 2018. "Price competition on graphs," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 161-179.
    17. Aurélie Bonein & Stéphane Turolla, 2023. "Spatial competition with demand uncertainty: A laboratory experiment," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 906-939, October.
    18. Nicoletta Corrocher & Marco Guerzoni, 2009. "Product variety and price strategy in the ski manufacturing industry," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 471-486, August.
    19. Chen, Chin-Sheng & Lai, Fu-Chuan, 2008. "Location choice and optimal zoning under Cournot competition," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 119-126, March.
    20. Yogesh V. Joshi & David J. Reibstein & Z. John Zhang, 2016. "Turf Wars: Product Line Strategies in Competitive Markets," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 128-141, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hotelling; Location; Vertical differentiation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • R32 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Other Spatial Production and Pricing Analysis

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:revind:v:65:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11151-024-09989-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.