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Tacit Collusion and Capacity Withholding in Repeated Uniform Price Auctions

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Author Info
Dechenaux, Emmanuel () (Kent State University)
Kovenock, Dan (Purdue University)

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Abstract

This paper contributes to the study of tacit collusion by analyzing infinitely repeated multiunit uniform price auctions in a symmetric oligopoly with capacity constrained firms. Under both the Market Clearing and Maximum Accepted Price rules of determining the uniform price, we show that when each firm sets a price-quantity pair specifying the firm's minimum acceptable price and the maximum quantity the firm is willing to sell at this price, there exists a range of discount factors for which the monopoly outcome with equal sharing is sustainable in the uniform price auction, but not in the corresponding discriminatory auction. Moreover, capacity withholding may be necessary to sustain this outcome. We extend these results to the case where firms may set bids that are arbitrary step functions of price-quantity pairs with any finite number of price steps. Surprisingly, under the Maximum Accepted Price rule, firms need employ no more than two price steps to minimize the value of the discount factor above which the perfectly collusive outcome with equal sharing is sustainable on a stationary path. Under the Market Clearing Price rule, only one step is required. That is, within the class of step bidding functions with a finite number of steps, maximal collusion is attained with simple price-quantity strategies exhibiting capacity withholding.

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Paper provided by Research Institute of Industrial Economics in its series Working Paper Series with number 636.

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Length: 36 pages
Date of creation: 01 Mar 2005
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Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0636

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Related research
Keywords: Auction Capacity Collusion Electricity Market Supply Function

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Auctions
L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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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. Natalia Fabra, 2003. "Tacit Collusion in Repeated Auctions: Uniform Versus Discriminatory," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(3), pages 271-293, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Anette Boom, . "Investments in Electricity Generation Capacity under Different Market Structures with Price Responsive Demand," Papers 016, Departmental Working Papers. [Downloadable!]
  3. Deneckere, Raymond J & Kovenock, Dan, 1992. "Price Leadership," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 59(1), pages 143-62, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
    • Raymond Deneckere & Dan Kovenock, 1988. "Price Leadership," Discussion Papers 773, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science. [Downloadable!]
  4. Brock, William A & Scheinkman, Jose A, 1985. "Price Setting Supergames with Capacity Constraints," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(3), pages 371-82, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Natalia Fabra & Nils-Henrik von der Fehr & David Harbord, 2002. "Designing Electricity Auctions," Microeconomics 0211017, EconWPA, revised 31 Aug 2003. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Davidson, Carl & Deneckere, Raymond, 1984. "Horizontal mergers and collusive behavior," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 117-132, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Le Coq, Chloé, 2002. "Strategic use of available capacity in the electricity spot market," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 496, Stockholm School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Severin Borenstein & James Bushnell & Steven Stoft, 1997. "The Competitive Effects of Transmission Capacity in a Deregulated Electricity Industry," NBER Working Papers 6293, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Dechenaux, Emmanuel & Kovenock, Dan, 2003. "Endogenous Rationing, Price Dispersion, and Collusion in Capacity Constrained Supergames," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1164, Purdue University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Aitor Ciarreta & María Paz Espinosa, 2003. "Market Power In The Spanish Wholesale Electricity Market," Working Papers. Serie AD 2003-22, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie). [Downloadable!]
  11. Lambson, Val Eugene, 1987. "Optimal Penal Codes in Price-Setting Supergames with Capacity Constraints," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(3), pages 385-97, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Garcia-Diaz, Anton & Marin, Pedro L., 2003. "Strategic bidding in electricity pools with short-lived bids: an application to the Spanish market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 201-222, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Green, Richard J & Newbery, David M, 1992. "Competition in the British Electricity Spot Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(5), pages 929-53, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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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. Anette Boom, 2007. "Vertically Integrated Firms' Investments in Electricity Generating Capacities," CIE Discussion Papers 2007-14, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Anette Boom & Stefan Buehler, 2007. "Restructuring Electricity Markets when Demand is Uncertain: Effects on Capacity Investments, Prices and Welfare," CIE Discussion Papers 2007-09, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
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