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Information, Bertrand–Edgeworth competition and the law of one price

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  • Edwards, Robert A.
  • Routledge, Robert R.

Abstract

Homogeneous goods often sell at different prices within the same market. This paper proposes a theoretical foundation for this phenomenon in the context of a capacity-constrained price game. Sellers have asymmetric information about the market demand, modelled by a partition of the state space, and evaluate uncertain profits in a way consistent with ambiguity aversion. We demonstrate that a pure strategy price equilibrium exists if the market demand is uniformly elastic in each state. Interestingly, the sellers may choose different prices, violating the law of one price. Moreover, market demand may be rationed between the sellers, resulting in consumers purchasing at different prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Edwards, Robert A. & Routledge, Robert R., 2022. "Information, Bertrand–Edgeworth competition and the law of one price," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:mateco:v:101:y:2022:i:c:s0304406822000179
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmateco.2022.102658
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    Cited by:

    1. Iwan Bos & Marco A. Marini, 2022. "Oligopoly Pricing: The Role of Firm Size and Number," Games, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incomplete information; Bertrand–Edgeworth competition; Ambiguity aversion; Law of one price;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

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