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First-Degree Discrimination by a Duopoly: Pricing and Quality Choice

Author

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  • David Encaoua

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Abraham Hollander

    (UdeM - Université de Montréal)

Abstract

The paper examines under what conditions vertically differentiated duopolists engage in first-degree price discrimination. Each firm decides on a pricing regime at a first stage and sets prices at a second stage. The paper shows that when unit cost is an increasing and convex function of quality, the discriminatory regime is the unique subgame-perfect equilibrium of such two-stage game. In contrast to the case of horizontal differentiation, the discriminatory equilibrium is not necessarily Pareto-dominated by a bilateral commitment to uniform pricing. Also, the quality choices of perfectly discriminating duopolists are welfare maximizing. The paper explains why a threat of entry may elicit price discrimination by an incumbent monopolist.

Suggested Citation

  • David Encaoua & Abraham Hollander, 2007. "First-Degree Discrimination by a Duopoly: Pricing and Quality Choice," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00177604, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-00177604
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00177604
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Stefano Colombo, 2011. "Spatial price discrimination in the unidirectional Hotelling model with elastic demand," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 157-169, March.
    2. David Bounie & Antoine Dubus & Patrick Waelbroeck, 2018. "Selling Strategic Information in Digital Competitive Markets," Working Papers hal-01794886, HAL.
    3. David Bounie & Antoine Dubus & Patrick Waelbroeck, 2021. "Selling strategic information in digital competitive markets," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 52(2), pages 283-313, June.
    4. Colombo, Stefano, 2009. "On the effects of selective below-cost pricing in a vertical differentiation model," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-13.
    5. Paul Belleflamme & Wing Man Wynne Lam & Wouter Vergote, 2019. "Competitive Imperfect Price Discrimination and Market Power," CESifo Working Paper Series 7964, CESifo.
    6. Stefano Colombo, 2011. "Pricing Policy and Partial Collusion," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 325-349, December.
    7. Paul Belleflamme & Wing Man Wynne Lam, & Wouter Vergote, 2020. "Competitive Imperfect Price Discrimination and Market Power," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(5), pages 996-1015, September.
    8. Vollstaedt, Ulrike & Imcke, Patrick & Brendel, Franziska & Ehses-Friedrich, Christiane, 2020. "Increasing consumer surplus through a novel product testing mechanism," Ruhr Economic Papers 887, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    competition in pricing regimes; duopoly; quality choice; concurrence en régime de prix; duopole; choix de qualité;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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