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Search with Learning and Price Adjustment Dynamics

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  • Arthur Fishman

Abstract

We present a model of consumer search with learning in which cost shocks have different short- and long-range effects on prices. In the short run, consumers confuse general cost shocks, common to all firms in the industry, with firm-specific shocks. In the case of a general cost increase, this promotes an excessive propensity to search, restraining the amount by which prices increase in the short run. Conversely, in the case of an idiosyncratic cost increase, consumers search too little, causing the prices of high-cost firms to overshoot.

Suggested Citation

  • Arthur Fishman, 1996. "Search with Learning and Price Adjustment Dynamics," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(1), pages 253-268.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:qjecon:v:111:y:1996:i:1:p:253-268.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.2307/2946664
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    Cited by:

    1. Fishman, Arthur & Finkelshtain, Israel & Simhon, Avi & Yacouel, Nira, 2008. "The Economics of Collective Brands," Discussion Papers 46056, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management.
    2. Eeva Mauring, 2020. "Informational Cycles in Search Markets," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 170-192, November.
    3. Rauh, Michael T., 1997. "A Model of Temporary Search Market Equilibrium," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 128-153, November.
    4. Eeva Mauring, 2020. "Informational Cycles in Search Markets," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 170-192, November.
    5. Daniel Garcia & Jun Honda & Maarten Janssen, 2017. "The Double Diamond Paradox," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 63-99, August.
    6. Tack Yun & Andrew Levin, 2009. "Reconsidering the Microeconomic Foundations of Price-Setting Behavior," 2009 Meeting Papers 798, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Fishman, Arthur & Simhon, Avi, 2005. "Can small menu costs explain sticky prices?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 227-230, May.
    8. Joshua Sherman & Avi Weiss, 2015. "Price Response, Asymmetric Information and Competition," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 125(589), pages 2077-2115, December.
    9. Cabral, Luís & Fishman, Arthur, 2012. "Business as usual: A consumer search theory of sticky prices and asymmetric price adjustment," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 371-376.
    10. Stéphane Dupraz, 2024. "A Kinked‐Demand Theory of Price Rigidity," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 56(2-3), pages 325-363, March.
    11. Daniel Garcia & Jun Honda & Maarten Janssen, 2017. "The Double Diamond Paradox," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 63-99, August.
    12. Maarten Janssen & Sandro Shelegia, 2015. "Consumer Search and Double Marginalization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(6), pages 1683-1710, June.
    13. Honda, Jun, 2015. "Intermediary Search for Suppliers in Procurement Auctions," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 203, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    14. Fishman, Arthur, 2021. "Finitely repeated search and the diamond paradox," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    15. Fishman, Arthur & Finkelstein, Israel & Simhon, Avi & Yacouel, Nira, 2018. "Collective brands," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 316-339.
    16. Huanxing Yang & Lixin Ye, 2008. "Search with learning: understanding asymmetric price adjustments," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(2), pages 547-564, June.
    17. Maarten Janssen & Paul Pichler & Simon Weidenholzer, 2009. "Sequential Search with Incompletely Informed Consumers: Theory and Evidence from Retail Gasoline Markets," Vienna Economics Papers vie0914, University of Vienna, Department of Economics.
    18. Arthur Fishman, 2021. "Active search in the Diamond search model," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(3), pages 2127-2132.
    19. Janssen, Maarten C.W. & Parakhonyak, Alexei & Parakhonyak, Anastasia, 2017. "Non-reservation price equilibria and consumer search," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 120-162.
    20. Maarten Janssen & Paul Pichler & Simon Weidenholzer, 2009. "Sequential Search with Incompletely Informed Consumers: Theory and Evidence from Retail Gasoline Markets," Vienna Economics Papers 0914, University of Vienna, Department of Economics.

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