IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/eab/microe/23410.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

International Price Dispersion and Market Segmentation in Japan and the United States : Theory and Empirics

Author

Listed:
  • K.C. Fung

    (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))

  • Alicia Garcia-Herrero
  • Francis Ng

Abstract

This paper focuses on the pricing behavior of Japanese and United States firms selling their identical products in New York City, Chicago, Osaka, and Tokyo. The authors utilize some simple models of international price dispersion and market segmentation that generate predictions about testable prices. The dataset, which consists of prices of identical products in the Japanese and American cities, was collected and accepted by both governments. Using this data, versions of international price dispersion theories are tested and some empirical evidence to support the view that simple international price dispersion models can partly explain the observed prices is found.

Suggested Citation

  • K.C. Fung & Alicia Garcia-Herrero & Francis Ng, 2013. "International Price Dispersion and Market Segmentation in Japan and the United States : Theory and Empirics," Microeconomics Working Papers 23410, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eab:microe:23410
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.eaber.org/node/23410
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Goldberg, Pinelopi K. & Verboven, Frank, 2005. "Market integration and convergence to the Law of One Price: evidence from the European car market," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 49-73, January.
    2. Cabolis, Christos & Clerides, Sofronis & Ioannou, Ioannis & Senft, Daniel, 2007. "A textbook example of international price discrimination," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 91-95, April.
    3. Nathalie Aminian & KC Fung & Alicia Garcia-Herrero & Chelsea C Lin, 2007. "The Political Economy of Exchange Rates: The Case of the Japanese Yen," Working Papers 0702, BBVA Bank, Economic Research Department.
    4. Bernhofen, Daniel M., 1999. "Intra-industry trade and strategic interaction: Theory and evidence," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 225-244, February.
    5. Belleflamme,Paul & Peitz,Martin, 2010. "Industrial Organization," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521681599, November.
    6. Charles Engel & John H. Rogers, 2004. "European product market integration after the euro [‘The law of one price in Scandinavian duty-free stores,’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 19(39), pages 348-384.
    7. K. C. Fung, 1991. "Collusive Intra-industry Trade," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 24(2), pages 391-404, May.
    8. Michael R. Baye & J. Rupert J. Gatti & Paul Kattuman & John Morgan, 2006. "Did the Euro Foster Online Price Competition? Evidence from an International Price Comparison Site," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 44(2), pages 265-279, April.
    9. Kyle Bagwell & Robert W. Staiger, 2012. "Profit Shifting And Trade Agreements In Imperfectly Competitive Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(4), pages 1067-1104, November.
    10. Fung, K. C., 2002. "International Trade and Bank Groups: Welfare Enhancing or Welfare Reducing?," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 212-226, June.
    11. Philipp Maier, 2010. "An Analysis Of International Price Differentials On Ebay," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(3), pages 307-321, July.
    12. Helpman, Elhanan, 1984. "Increasing returns, imperfect markets, and trade theory," Handbook of International Economics, in: R. W. Jones & P. B. Kenen (ed.), Handbook of International Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 7, pages 325-365, Elsevier.
    13. K. C. Fung, 1991. "Characteristics of Japanese Industrial Groups and Their Potential Impact on US-Japanese Trade," NBER Chapters, in: Empirical Studies of Commercial Policy, pages 137-168, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Salvador Gil-Pareja & Simon Sosvilla-Rivero, 2007. "Price convergence in the European car market," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 241-250.
    2. Méjean, Isabelle & Schwellnus, Cyrille, 2009. "Price convergence in the European Union: Within firms or composition of firms?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Oliver Holtemöller & Götz Zeddies, 2013. "Has the Euro increased international price elasticities?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(1), pages 197-214, February.
    4. Fontaine, François & Martin, Julien & Mejean, Isabelle, 2020. "Price discrimination within and across EMU markets: Evidence from French exporters," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    5. Alam, Md. Rafayet & Morshed, A.K.M. Mahbub, 2021. "Price dispersion across U.S. cities: The role of Walmart," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 227-237.
    6. Dvir, Eyal & Strasser, Georg, 2018. "Does marketing widen borders? Cross-country price dispersion in the European car market," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 134-149.
    7. Monika Roman, 2020. "Spatial Integration of the Milk Market in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Stole, Lars A., 2007. "Price Discrimination and Competition," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: Mark Armstrong & Robert Porter (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 34, pages 2221-2299, Elsevier.
    9. Andrade, Philippe & Zachariadis, Marios, 2016. "Global versus local shocks in micro price dynamics," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 78-92.
    10. Cabolis, Christos & Clerides, Sofronis & Ioannou, Ioannis & Senft, Daniel, 2007. "A textbook example of international price discrimination," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 91-95, April.
    11. Jaanika Meriküll & Tairi Rõõm, 2015. "One Currency, One Price? Euro Changeover-Related Inflation in Estonia," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 822-839, July.
    12. Bekaert, Geert & Harvey, Campbell R. & Lundblad, Christian T. & Siegel, Stephan, 2013. "The European Union, the Euro, and equity market integration," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 583-603.
    13. Paul Bergin & Reuven Glick, 2005. "Tradability, Productivity, and Understanding International Economic Integration," Working Papers 294, University of California, Davis, Department of Economics.
    14. Nathalie Aminian & K. C. Fung & Maurice K. S. Tse, 2016. "The Euro and the Yuan: Some Political Economy Considerations," China Economic Policy Review (CEPR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(01), pages 1-13, June.
    15. Christian Dreger & Konstantin Kholodilin & Kirsten Lommatzsch & JiÅí SlaÄálek & Przemyslaw Wozniak, 2008. "Price Convergence in an Enlarged Internal Market," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(5), pages 57-68, September.
    16. Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Ogrokhina, Olena, 2018. "Behavior of retail prices in common currency areas: The case of the Eurozone," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 49-57.
    17. Andrén, Niclas & Oxelheim, Lars, 2006. "Producer Prices in the Transition to a Common Currency," Working Paper Series 668, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    18. Fischer, Christoph, 2012. "Price convergence in the EMU? Evidence from micro data," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 757-776.
    19. Dermot Leahy & J. Peter Neary, 2013. "Oligopoly and Trade," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Daniel Bernhofen & Rod Falvey & David Greenaway & Udo Kreickemeier (ed.), Palgrave Handbook of International Trade, chapter 7, pages 197-235, Palgrave Macmillan.
    20. Guerreiro, David & Mignon, Valérie, 2013. "On price convergence in Eurozone," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 42-51.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Price Dispersion; market segmentation; Japan; The United States; pricing behavior; firms; idetntial products;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eab:microe:23410. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    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 CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc 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 RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Shiro Armstrong (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/eaberau.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.