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State dependent price setting rules under implicit thresholds: An experiment

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  • LeBlanc, Justin D.
  • Civelli, Andrea
  • Deck, Cary
  • Bregu, Klajdi

Abstract

How firms make their pricing decisions is a fundamental question of macroeconomics. We use a laboratory experiment to examine individual choices in a price updating task that provide insight into how well state dependent models reflect behavior. We find that in general subjects behave as if they recognize the importance of a state dependent pricing strategy, but they are unable to ascertain this threshold with precision and they also exhibit a substantial degree of time dependence. As a result, they update prices too frequently, and perform statistically significantly fewer real effort profit-generating tasks than theoretically optimal under full state dependence, which results in statistically significantly lower profits as well.

Suggested Citation

  • LeBlanc, Justin D. & Civelli, Andrea & Deck, Cary & Bregu, Klajdi, 2016. "State dependent price setting rules under implicit thresholds: An experiment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 17-44.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:68:y:2016:i:c:p:17-44
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2016.04.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Anton, Ramona & Chenavaz, Régis Y. & Paraschiv, Corina, 2023. "Dynamic pricing, reference price, and price-quality relationship," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    2. Orland, Andreas & Roos, Michael W.M., 2019. "Price-setting with quadratic adjustment costs: Experimental evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 88-116.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Laboratory experiments; Price rigidity; State dependent models; Dynamic pricing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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