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Relationships on the Rocks: Contract Evolution in a Market for Ice

Author

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  • Tarek Ghani
  • Tristan Reed

Abstract

Firms use relational contracts to support repeated trade. Do these informal agreements evolve in response to market conditions? In a market for ice, firms reestablish relationships on new terms when a prior agreement breaks down. Using transaction data, we show that ice retailers prioritize deliveries to loyal buyers⁠—fishing firms⁠—when supply from the monopolistic manufacturer is scarce. After an upstream shock to competition increases supply, repeated trade lapses, threatening retailers' positions. Incumbent retailers establish a new agreement expanding trade credit to loyal buyers, which impedes new retailer entry. Upstream competition also increases downstream firms' productivity and lowers consumer fish prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Tarek Ghani & Tristan Reed, 2022. "Relationships on the Rocks: Contract Evolution in a Market for Ice," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 330-365, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmic:v:14:y:2022:i:1:p:330-65
    DOI: 10.1257/mic.20190166
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Leone, Fabrizio & Macchiavello, Rocco & Reed, Tristan, 2022. "Market size, markups and international price dispersion in the cement industry," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117954, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Macchiavello, Rocco & Morjaria, Ameet, 2022. "Empirical approaches to trust and relational contracts," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Danila Medvedev & Diag Davenport & Thomas Talhelm & Yin Li, 2024. "The motivating effect of monetary over psychological incentives is stronger in WEIRD cultures," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(3), pages 456-470, March.
    4. Leone, Fabrizio & Macchiavello,Rocco & Reed,Tristan, 2021. "The Falling Price of Cement in Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9706, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • L12 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Monopoly; Monopolization Strategies
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • Q22 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Fishery

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