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Bertrand versus Cournot revisited

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Author Info
Cheng-Zhong Qin (Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA)
Charles Stuart (Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA)

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Abstract

Bertrand criticized Cournot's analysis of the competitive process, arguing that firms should be seen as playing a strategy of setting price below competitors' prices (henceforth, the Bertrand strategy) instead of a strategy of accepting the price needed to sell an optimal quantity (the Cournot strategy). We characterize Nash equilibria in a generalized model in which firms choose among Cournot and Bertrand strategies. Best responses always exist in this model. For the duopoly case, we show that iterated best responses converge under mild assumptions on initial states either to Cournot equilibrium or to an equilibrium in which only one firm plays the Bertrand strategy with price equal to marginal cost and that firm has zero sales.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Springer in its journal Economic Theory.

Volume (Year): 10 (1997)
Issue (Month): 3 ()
Pages: 497-507
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Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:10:y:1997:i:3:p:497-507

Note: Received: December 11, 1995; revised version October 2, 1996
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (includes Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian)
C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

Cited by:
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  1. Jaideep Roy & Torben Tranæs, 2002. "Unrestricted Duopoly Competition: Equilibrium and Survival," CIE Discussion Papers 2002-01, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Pascal Billand & Christophe Bravard, 2006. "Les modèles de comportements adaptatifs appliqués à l'oligopole de Cournot," Post-Print ujm-00121658_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
  3. Massimo A. De Francesco, 2001. "On stability of Bertrand-Nash equilibrium in a simple model of the labour market," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 3(19), pages 1-10. [Downloadable!]
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