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Monopoly Provision of Product Quality with Uninformed Buyers

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Author Info
Russell Cooper
Thomas W. Ross (University of Chicago & Carleton University)

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Abstract

This essay is concerned with a monopolist's incentives to provide a high quality goods when some of its customers cannot observe quality prior to purchase. We show that if all buyers have the same tastes for quality, the monopolist will not try to take advantage of the poorly informed. When tastes differ, however, some quality randomization may become profitable as a means to loosen binding self-selection constraints. The profitability of randomization is shown to depend upon the relative degrees of risk aversion of the buyers and on the convexity of the firm's cost of quality function. We view our results as pointing to some potential benefits from imperfect quality control.

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File URL: http://cowles.econ.yale.edu/P/cd/d06b/d0688-r.pdf
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Paper provided by Cowles Foundation, Yale University in its series Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers with number 688R.

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Length: 19 pages
Date of creation: Jan 1984
Date of revision: Nov 1984
Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:688r

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References listed on IDEAS
Please 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.:
  1. Grossman, Sanford J, 1981. "The Informational Role of Warranties and Private Disclosure about Product Quality," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 461-83, December.
  2. Nelson, Phillip, 1970. "Information and Consumer Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(2), pages 311-29, March-Apr. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Chan, Yuk-Shee & Leland, Hayne, 1982. "Prices and Qualities in Markets with Costly Information," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(4), pages 499-516, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Cooper, Russell & Ross, Thomas W, 1984. "Prices, Product Qualities and Asymmetric Information: The Competitive Case," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(2), pages 197-207, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Mussa, Michael & Rosen, Sherwin, 1978. "Monopoly and product quality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 301-317, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please 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.)

  1. Andrew F. Daughety & Jennifer F. Reinganum, 1994. "Product Safety: Liability, R&D and Signaling," Game Theory and Information 9403007, EconWPA, revised 30 Mar 1994. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Helmut Bester & Klaus Ritzberger, . "Strategic Pricing, Signalling, and Costly Information Acquisition," Papers 008, Departmental Working Papers. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Thomas Liebi, 2003. "The Demand for Tests," Diskussionsschriften dp0307, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft. [Downloadable!]
  4. Kyle Bagwell & Michael Riordan, 1988. "High and Declining Prices Signal Product Quality," Discussion Papers 808, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Oren Gazal-Ayal, 2007. "Economic analysis of standard form contracts: the monopoly case," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 119-136, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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