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Price Discrimination in Input Markets: Downstream Entry and Efficiency

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  • Fabian Herweg
  • Daniel Müller

Abstract

The extant theory on price discrimination in input markets takes the structure of the downstream industry as exogenously given. This paper endogenizes the structure of the downstream industry and examines the effects of permitting third‐degree price discrimination on market structure and welfare. We identify situations where permitting price discrimination leads to either higher or lower wholesale prices for all downstream firms. These findings are driven by upstream profits being discontinuous due to costly entry. Moreover, permitting price discrimination fosters entry which often improves welfare. Nevertheless, entry can also reduce welfare because it may lead to a severe inefficiency in production.

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  • Fabian Herweg & Daniel Müller, 2012. "Price Discrimination in Input Markets: Downstream Entry and Efficiency," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 773-799, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:21:y:2012:i:3:p:773-799
    DOI: j.1530-9134.2012.00344.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Xingtang, 2022. "Input price discrimination, pricing contract and social welfare," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 91-96.
    2. Li, Krista J. & Zhang, Jianqiang, 2021. "How does customer recognition affect service provision?," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 900-914.
    3. Chin-Sheng Chen, 2017. "Price Discrimination in Input Markets and Quality Differentiation," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 50(3), pages 367-388, May.
    4. Jeongmeen Suh & Sihoon Nahm & Seung-Gyu Sim, 2016. "The Most Favored Nation Principle: Passive Constraint or Active Commitment?," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 32, pages 77-99.
    5. Uğur Akgün & Ioana Chioveanu, 2019. "Wholesale price discrimination: Innovation incentives and upstream competition," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 510-519, June.
    6. Ioannis N. Pinopoulos, 2020. "Input Price Discrimination and Upstream R&D Investments," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(1), pages 85-106, August.
    7. Herweg, Fabian & Müller, Daniel, 2016. "Discriminatory nonlinear pricing, fixed costs, and welfare in intermediate-goods markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 107-136.
    8. Timothy Brennan, 2013. "Mitigating Monopoly or Preventing Discrimination: Comparing Antitrust to Regulatory Goals in the Interstate Commerce Act," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 43(1), pages 103-119, August.
    9. Krista J. Li, 2018. "Behavior-Based Pricing in Marketing Channels," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 37(2), pages 310-326, March.
    10. Chin-Sheng Chen, 2022. "Input Price Discrimination and Allocation Efficiency," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 60(1), pages 93-107, February.
    11. Germain Gaudin & Romain Lestage, 2022. "Input Price Discrimination, Demand Forms, And Welfare," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 1033-1057, December.
    12. Ioannis N. Pinopoulos, 2022. "Input Price Discrimination, Two‐Part Tariffs and Bargaining," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 1058-1090, December.
    13. Fabian Herweg & Daniel Müller, 2014. "Price Discrimination in Input Markets: Quantity Discounts and Private Information," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 124(577), pages 776-804, June.
    14. Youping Li, 2017. "Differential Pricing in Intermediate Good Markets," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 585-596, September.
    15. Jie Shuai & Mengyuan Xia & Chenhang Zeng, 2023. "Upstream market structure and downstream partial ownership," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 22-47, January.
    16. Toshiki Matsuoka, 2023. "Input price discrimination and strategic inventory," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 91(2), pages 118-138, March.
    17. Jong-Hee Hahn & Chan KIm, 2018. "Input price discrimination with differentiated final products," Working papers 2018rwp-118, Yonsei University, Yonsei Economics Research Institute.
    18. Kangsik Choi & DongJoon Lee & Seonyoung Lim, 2022. "A Note on Input Price Discrimination Under Bertrand Competition: Simultaneous vs. Sequential Contracting," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 61(2), pages 223-246, September.
    19. Brito, Duarte & Tselekounis, Markos & Vasconcelos, Helder, 2019. "Input price discrimination in the presence of downstream vertical differentiation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    20. Kim, Hyunchul & Sim, Seung-Gyu, 2015. "Price discrimination and sequential contracting in monopolistic input markets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 39-42.
    21. Chin-Sheng Chen & Hong Hwang, 2014. "Spatial Price Discrimination in Input Markets with an Endogenous Market Boundary," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 45(2), pages 139-152, September.

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