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Does Responsive Pricing Smooth Demand Shocks?

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Author Info
Pascal Courty
Mario Pagliero

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Abstract

Using data from a unique pricing experiment, we investigate Vickrey’s conjecture that responsive pricing can be used to smooth both predictable and unpredictable demand shocks. Our evidence shows that increasing the responsiveness of price to demand conditions reduces the magnitude of deviations in capacity utilization rates from a pre-determined target level. A 10 percent increase in price variability leads to a decrease in the variability of capacity utilization rates between 2 and 6 percent. We discuss implications for the use of demand-side incentives to deal with congestible resources.

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Paper provided by European University Institute in its series Economics Working Papers with number ECO2008/01.

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Date of creation: 2008
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Handle: RePEc:eui:euiwps:eco2008/01

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Related research
Keywords: Consumer demand; responsive pricing; capacity utilization; price variability;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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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. Courty, Pascal & Pagliero, Mario, 2007. "Price Variation Antagonism and Firm Pricing Policies," CEPR Discussion Papers 6663, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. C. Robin Lindsey & Erik T. Verhoef, 2000. "Traffic Congestion and Congestion Pricing," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 00-101/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  3. Thomas Taylor & Peter Schwarz, 2000. "Advance notice of real-time electricity prices," Atlantic Economic Journal, International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 28(4), pages 478-488, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Koenker, Roger W & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1978. "Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(1), pages 33-50, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Pascal Courty & Mario Pagliero, 2008. "Responsive pricing," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 235-259, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Harris, Milton & Raviv, Artur, 1981. "A Theory of Monopoly Pricing Schemes with Demand Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 347-65, June.
  7. Robert H. Patrick & Frank A. Wolak, 2001. "Estimating the Customer-Level Demand for Electricity Under Real-Time Market Prices," NBER Working Papers 8213, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Kahneman, Daniel & Knetsch, Jack L & Thaler, Richard, 1986. "Fairness as a Constraint on Profit Seeking: Entitlements in the Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(4), pages 728-41, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Borenstein, Severin & Rose, Nancy L, 1994. "Competition and Price Dispersion in the U.S. Airline Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(4), pages 653-83, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. William Vickrey, 1971. "Responsive Pricing of Public Utility Services," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 2(1), pages 337-346, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Eugenio J. Miravete, 2003. "Choosing the Wrong Calling Plan? Ignorance and Learning," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 297-310, March. [Downloadable!]
  12. Crew, Michael A & Fernando, Chitru S & Kleindorfer, Paul R, 1995. "The Theory of Peak-Load Pricing: A Survey," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 215-48, November.
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