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The Strategic Value of Quantity Forcing Contracts

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  • David Martimort
  • Salvatore Piccolo

Abstract

We explore the strategic value of quantity forcing contracts in a manufacturer-retailer environment under both adverse selection and moral hazard. Manufacturers dealing with (exclusive) competing retailers may prefer to leave contracts silent on retail prices, whenever other aspects of the retailers' activity remain nonverifiable. Two effects are at play when moving from retail price maintenance to quantity forcing. First, restricting screening possibilities may increase retailers' rent. Second, such a restriction affects downstream competition. This latter effect may justify using quantity forcing contracts and, more generally, shed light on a novel source of contractual incompleteness. (JEL D82, D86, L14)

Suggested Citation

  • David Martimort & Salvatore Piccolo, 2010. "The Strategic Value of Quantity Forcing Contracts," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 204-229, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmic:v:2:y:2010:i:1:p:204-29
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/mic.2.1.204
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sreya Kolay & Greg Shaffer, 2022. "Slotting Fees and Price Discrimination in Retail Channels," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(6), pages 1145-1162, November.
    2. Dessi, Roberta, 2011. "Innovation, Spillovers and Venture Capital Contracts," IDEI Working Papers 684, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse, revised Dec 2013.
    3. Attar, Andrea & Campioni, Eloisa & Piaser, Gwenaël, 2018. "On competing mechanisms under exclusive competition," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 1-15.
    4. Fiocco, Raffaele, 2016. "The strategic value of partial vertical integration," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 284-302.
    5. Matteo Bassi & Marco Pagnozzi & Salvatore Piccolo, 2015. "Product Differentiation by Competing Vertical Hierarchies," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 904-933, October.
    6. Andrea Attar & Eloisa Campioni & Gwenaël Piaser, 2014. "Competing Mechanisms: Communication under Exclusivity Clauses," Working Papers 2014-48, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    7. Andrea Attar & Eloisa Campioni & Gwenael Piaser, 2011. "Information Revelation in Competing Mechanism Games," CEIS Research Paper 205, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 04 Jul 2011.
    8. Andrea Attar & Eloisa Campioni & Gwenael Piaser, 2011. "Competing Mechanisms, Exclusive Clauses and the Revelation Principle," CEIS Research Paper 201, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 30 Jun 2011.
    9. Leda Maria Bonazzi & Raffaele Fiocco & Salvatore Piccolo, 2021. "Vertical Price Restraints and Free Entry Under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(4), pages 854-899, December.
    10. Marco Pagnozzi & Salvatore Piccolo & Matteo Bassi, 2016. "Entry and Product Variety with Competing Supply Chains," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(3), pages 520-556, September.
    11. Neven, Damien & Piccolo, Salvatore & Andreu, Enrique, 2021. "Price Authority and Information Sharing with Competing Principals," CEPR Discussion Papers 16753, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Piccolo, Salvatore & D'Amato, Marcello & Martina, Riccardo, 2008. "Product market competition and organizational slack under profit-target contracts," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1389-1406, November.
    13. Jakub Kastl & David Martimort & Salvatore Piccolo, 2009. ""When Should Manufacturers Want Fair Trade?": New Insights from Asymmetric Information," CSEF Working Papers 218, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 08 Apr 2010.
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    15. Mikhail Drugov, 2021. "Bargaining with informational and payoff externalities," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 398-419, May.
    16. Attar, Andrea & Campioni, Eloisa & Piaser, Gwenaël, 2013. "Two-sided communication in competing mechanism games," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 62-70.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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