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Strategic Buyers and Privately Observed Prices

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Abstract

A model of repeated price competition with large buyers is analyzed. The sellers are allowed to offer different prices to different buyers and the buyers act strategically. The set of subgame perfect Equilibria is investigated under public and private monitoring. With public monitoring the equilibrium set with large buyers expands relative to the standard model where each buyer is small and behaves myopically. With private monitoring, where prices are not observable to the competing sellers, the set of equilibrium payoffs shrinks. In the finitely repeated game with private monitoring, all sales are made by the efficient seller. In the infinitely repeated game this result is preserved as long as the sellers condition their prices on the public history. In contrast to the finite horizon game, the set of pure strategy equilibria expands if the sellers are allowed to condition their own past prices. Comparisons are drawn to Markovian equilibria of similar dynamic games.

Suggested Citation

  • Dirk Bergemann & Juuso Valimaki, 1999. "Strategic Buyers and Privately Observed Prices," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1237, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:1237
    Note: CFP 1079.
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bhaskar, V. & van Damme, Eric, 2002. "Moral Hazard and Private Monitoring," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 102(1), pages 16-39, January.
    2. Dilip Abreu & David Pearce & Ennio Stacchetti, 2010. "Towards a Theory of Discounted Repeated Games with Imperfect Monitoring," Levine's Working Paper Archive 199, David K. Levine.
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    6. Michihiro Kandori & Hitoshi Matsushima, 1997. "Private observation and Communication and Collusion," Levine's Working Paper Archive 1256, David K. Levine.
    7. Abreu, Dilip & Pearce, David & Stacchetti, Ennio, 1990. "Toward a Theory of Discounted Repeated Games with Imperfect Monitoring," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(5), pages 1041-1063, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph E. Harrington Jr. & Andrzej Skrzypacz, 2007. "Collusion under monitoring of sales," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 38(2), pages 314-331, June.
    2. Garrod, Luke & Olczak, Matthew, 2018. "Explicit vs tacit collusion: The effects of firm numbers and asymmetries," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-25.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Repeated games; private monitoring; collusion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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

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