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Endogenous Market Thickness, Prices and Honesty: Quality Demand Traps

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  • Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay

Abstract

We study the interaction between product quality, prices and demand in a dynamic model of asymmetric information. Sellers choose between producing high quality goods which gives low profits today but increases probability of future survival in the market and low quality ones which gives higher returns today but lowers future survival. However, demand depends on expected quality. Multiple steady states (high demand high quality, low demand low quality) exist if the present discounted value of lifetime profits from selling high quality goods exceeds a certain cutoff. We also characterise the equilibrium price which depends on the distribution of buyer valuations.

Suggested Citation

  • Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, 2005. "Endogenous Market Thickness, Prices and Honesty: Quality Demand Traps," Discussion Papers 05-02, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.
    • Handle: RePEc:bir:birmec:05-02
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    market thickness; endogenous quality; multiple equilibria; price mechanism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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