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Durable Goods Monopoly and Product Quality

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Author Info
Jong-Hee Hahn () (Keele University, Department of Economics)

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Abstract

This paper examines how a durable-goods monopolist’s choice of product quality interacts with time inconsistency problems in an environment, where the firm faces an irreversible decision on quality and unit production costs increase in quality. The monopolist may have incentives to choose a high quality in order to mitigate the time-inconsistency problem, which counters the standard quality underprovision incentive due to the lack of commitment. Depending on the relative strength of the two opposing forces, the monopolist may increase or decrease quality relative to the optimal commitment or rental level. Its welfare implications are also discussed, and it is shown that the lack of commitment power may be socially harmful in contrast to the prediction in the traditional theory of durable-goods monopoly pricing.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Centre for Economic Research, Keele University in its series Keele Economics Research Papers with number KERP 2005/12.

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Length: 29 pages
Date of creation: Aug 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:kee:kerpuk:2005/12

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Postal: Department of Economics, University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG - United Kingdom
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Web page: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ec/cer/
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Postal: Centre for Economic Research, Research Institute for Public Policy and Management, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG - United Kingdom
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Web: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ec/cer/pubs_kerps.htm

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Related research
Keywords: Durable-goods monopoly; Product quality; Time consistency; Commitment.;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D42 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Monopoly
L12 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Monopoly; Monopolization Strategies

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Eric W. Bond & Larry Samuelson, 1984. "Durable Good Monopolies with Rational Expectations and Replacement Sales," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(3), pages 336-345, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Bagnoli, Mark & Salant, Stephen W & Swierzbinski, Joseph E, 1989. "Durable-Goods Monopoly with Discrete Demand," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(6), pages 1459-78, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Takeyama, Lisa N, 2002. "Strategic Vertical Differentiation and Durable Goods Monopoly," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(1), pages 43-56, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Nancy L. Stokey, 1981. "Rational Expectations and Durable Goods Pricing," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 12(1), pages 112-128, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Kahn, Charles M, 1986. "The Durable Goods Monopolist and Consistency with Increasing Costs," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(2), pages 275-94, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Inderst, Roman, 2003. "Durable Goods with Quality Differentiation," CEPR Discussion Papers 4047, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Ausubel, Lawrence M & Deneckere, Raymond J, 1989. "Reputation in Bargaining and Durable Goods Monopoly," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(3), pages 511-31, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Bulow, Jeremy, 1986. "An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 101(4), pages 729-49, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Bulow, Jeremy I, 1982. "Durable-Goods Monopolists," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(2), pages 314-32, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Jong-Hee Hahn, 2006. "Damaged Durable Goods," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 37(1), pages 121-133, Spring.
    Other versions:
  11. Coase, Ronald H, 1972. "Durability and Monopoly," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 143-49, April.
  12. Reinganum, Jennifer F & Stokey, Nancy L, 1985. "Oligopoly Extraction of a Common Property Natural Resource: The Importance of the Period of Commitment in Dynamic Games," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 26(1), pages 161-73, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Waldman, Michael, 1996. "Durable Goods Pricing When Quality Matters," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(4), pages 489-510, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Sobel, Joel, 1991. "Durable Goods Monopoly with Entry of New Consumers," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(5), pages 1455-85, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Gul, Faruk & Sonnenschein, Hugo & Wilson, Robert, 1986. "Foundations of dynamic monopoly and the coase conjecture," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 155-190, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. A. Michael Spence, 1975. "Monopoly, Quality, and Regulation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(2), pages 417-429, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. von der Fehr, Nils-Henrik Morch & Kuhn, Kai-Uwe, 1995. "Coase versus Pacman: Who Eats Whom in the Durable-Goods Monopoly?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(4), pages 785-812, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Kai-Uwe Kuhn & A. Jorge Padilla, 1996. "Product Line Decisions and the Coase Conjecture," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 27(2), pages 391-414, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Butz, David A, 1990. "Durable-Good Monopoly and Best-Price Provisions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(5), pages 1062-76, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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