Duopoly Competition, Escape Dynamics and Non-cooperative Collusion
Abstract
In this paper, we study an imperfect monitoring model of duopoly under similar settings as in Green and Porter (1984), but here firms do not know the demand parameters and learn about them over time though the price signals. We investigate how a deviation from rational expectations affects the decision making process and what kind of behavior is sustainable in equilibrium. We find that the more common information firms analyze to update their beliefs, the more room is for implicit coordination. This might propagate escapes from the Cournot- Nash Equilibrium and the formation of cartels without explicit cooperative motives. In contrast to Green and Porter (1984), our results show that in a model with learning, breakdown of a cartel happens even without a demand shock. Moreover, in this model an expected price serves as an endogenous price threshold, which triggers a price war. Finally, by investigating the durations of the cooperative and price war phases, we find that in industries with a higher Nash equilibrium output and a lower volatility of firm-specific shocks, it is easier to maintain a cartel and harder to break it down.Download Info
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.Bibliographic Info
Paper provided by The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economic Institute, Prague in its series CERGE-EI Working Papers with number wp445.Length:
Date of creation: Sep 2011
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cer:papers:wp445
Contact details of provider:
Postal: P.O. Box 882, Politickych veznu 7, 111 21 Praha 1
Phone: (+420) 224 005 123
Fax: (+420) 224 005 333
Email:
Web page: http://www.cerge-ei.cz
More information through EDIRC
Related research
Keywords: beliefs; escape dynamics; implicit collusion; self-confirming equilibrium; learning;Find related papers by JEL classification:
- D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search, Learning, and Information
- 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
- L40 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - General
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2011-11-07 (All new papers)
- NEP-BEC-2011-11-07 (Business Economics)
- NEP-COM-2011-11-07 (Industrial Competition)
- NEP-IND-2011-11-07 (Industrial Organization)
References
References listed on IDEASPlease report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Abreu, Dilip & Pearce, David & Stacchetti, Ennio, 1986. "Optimal cartel equilibria with imperfect monitoring," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 251-269, June.
- Godfrey Keller & Sven Rady, 1998.
"Optimal Experimentation in a Changing Environment,"
Game Theory and Information
9801001, EconWPA.
- Keller, Godfrey & Rady, Sven, 1999. "Optimal Experimentation in a Changing Environment," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 475-507, July.
- Godfrey Keller & Sven Rady, 1997. "Optimal Experimentation in a Changing Environment," STICERD - Theoretical Economics Paper Series 333, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
- Yuliy Sannikov & Andrzej Skrzypacz, 2007.
"Impossibility of Collusion under Imperfect Monitoring with Flexible Production,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 97(5), pages 1794-1823, December.
- Skrzypacz, Andrzej & Sannikov, Yuliy, 2005. "Impossibility of Collusion under Imperfect Monitoring with Flexible Production," Research Papers 1887, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
- Yuliy Sannikov & Andrzej Skrzypacz, 2004. "Impossibility of Collusion under Imperfect Monitoring with Flexible Production," 2004 Meeting Papers 418, Society for Economic Dynamics.
- Mirman, L.J. & Samuelson, L. & Urbano, A., 1989.
"Duopoly Signal Jamming,"
Papers
8-89-8, Pennsylvania State - Department of Economics.
- Mirman, Leonard J & Samuelson, Larry & Urbano, Amparo, 1993. "Duopoly Signal Jamming," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 129-49, January.
- Mirman,Leonard & Samuelson,Larry & Urbano,Amparo, . "Duopoly signal jamming," Discussion Paper Serie B 199, University of Bonn, Germany.
- Martin Ellison & Andrew Scott, 2009.
"Learning and Price Volatility in Duopoly Models of Resource Depletion,"
OxCarre Working Papers
025, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies, University of Oxford.
- Ellison, Martin & Scott, Andrew, 2009. "Learning and Price Volatility in Duopoly Models of Resource Depletion," CEPR Discussion Papers 7378, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Mirman Leonard J. & Samuelson Larry & Schlee Edward E., 1994.
"Strategic Information Manipulation in Duopolies,"
Journal of Economic Theory,
Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 363-384, April.
- Mirman, L.J. & Samuelson, L. & Schlee, E.E., 1991. "Strategic information manipulation in duopolies," Discussion Paper 1991-37, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
- Mirman, L.J. & Samuelson, L. & Schlee, E.E., 1991. "Strategic Information Manupulation in Duopolies," Papers 9137, Tilburg - Center for Economic Research.
- Dilip Abreu & David Pearce & Ennio Stacchetti, 1997. "Optimal Cartel Equilibria with Imperfect monitoring," Levine's Working Paper Archive 632, David K. Levine.
Citations
Lists
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.Statistics
Access and download statisticsCorrections
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cer:papers:wp445For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Jana Koudelkova).
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

