Collusion with Capacity Constraints over the Business Cycle
Abstract
This paper investigates the effect of capacity constraints on the sustainability of collusion in markets subject to cyclical demand fluctuations. In the absence of capacity constraints (i.e. a limiting case of our model), Haltiwanger and Harrington (1991) show that firms find it more difficult to collude during periods of decreasing demand. We find that this prediction can be overturned if firms' capacities are sufficiently small. Capacity constraints imply that punishment profits move procyclically, so that periods of increasing demand may lead to lower losses from cheating even if collusive profits are rising. Haltiwanger and Harrington's main prediction remains valid for su±ciently large capacities.Download Info
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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Industrial Organization with number 0308001.Length: 24 pages
Date of creation: 31 Aug 2003
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpio:0308001
Note: Type of Document - pdf; prepared on PC; pages: 24 ; figures: included
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Web page: http://128.118.178.162
Related research
Keywords: Collusion; Capacity Constraints; Business Cycles;Other versions of this item:
- Fabra, Natalia, 2006. "Collusion with capacity constraints over the business cycle," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 69-81, January.
- Fabra, Natalia, . "Collusion with Capacity Constraints over the Business Cycle," Open Access publications from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid info:hdl:10016/5006, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
- Fabra, Natlia, 2003. "Collusion with Capacity Constraints over the Business Cycle," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt1cv2d2ww, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
- C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
- L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
- E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2003-09-08 (All new papers)
References
References listed on IDEASPlease 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.:
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Federico Boffa & Carlo Scarpa, 2009. "An Anticompetitive Effect of Eliminating Transport Barriers in Network Markets," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 115-133, March.
- Knittel, Christopher & Lepore, Jason, 2006.
"Tacit Collusion in the Presence of Cyclical Demand and Endogenous Capacity Levels,"
Working Papers
06-31, University of California at Davis, Department of Economics.
- Knittel, Christopher R. & Lepore, Jason J., 2010. "Tacit collusion in the presence of cyclical demand and endogenous capacity levels," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 131-144, March.
- Christopher R. Knittel & Jason J. Lepore, 2006. "Tacit Collusion in the Presence of Cyclical Demand and Endogenous Capacity Levels," NBER Working Papers 12635, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Christopher Knittel & Jason Lepore, 2006. "Tacit Collusion in the Presence of Cyclical Demand and Endogenous Capacity Levels," Working Papers 631, University of California, Davis, Department of Economics.
- Joseph E. Harrington, Jr, 2005. "Detecting Cartels," Economics Working Paper Archive 526, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics.
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