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Asymmetric information and overinvestment in quality

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  • Belleflamme, Paul
  • Peitz, Martin

Abstract

In a standard adverse selection world, asymmetric information about product quality leads to quality deterioration in the market. Suppose that a higher investment level makes the realization of high quality more likely. Then, if consumers observe the investment (but not the realization of product quality) before purchase, they can infer the probability distribution of high and low quality that may be put on the market. We uncover two effects that may lead the firm to overinvest in quality compared to a market with full information: first, an adverse selection effect according to which a sufficiently large investment can avoid adverse selection and, second, an efficiency effect according to which a larger investment reduces the probability of having in the market low quality products that are not socially valuable.

Suggested Citation

  • Belleflamme, Paul & Peitz, Martin, 2014. "Asymmetric information and overinvestment in quality," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 127-143.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:66:y:2014:i:c:p:127-143
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2013.12.005
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    3. Anthony Creane & Thomas D. Jeitschko, 2016. "Endogenous Entry in Markets with Unobserved Quality," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(3), pages 494-519, September.
    4. Born, Alexander & Kovachka, Nikoleta & Lessmann, Stefan & Seow, Hsin-Vonn, 2018. "Price Management in the Used-Car Market: An Evaluation of Survival Analysis," IRTG 1792 Discussion Papers 2018-065, Humboldt University of Berlin, International Research Training Group 1792 "High Dimensional Nonstationary Time Series".
    5. Ghulam Hussain Khan Zaigham & Xiangning Wang & Haji Suleman Ali, 2019. "Causal Relation Between Stock Market Performance and Firm Investment in China: Mediating Role of Information Asymmetry," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(4), pages 21582440198, October.
    6. Belleflamme,Paul & Peitz,Martin, 2015. "Industrial Organization," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107687899.
    7. Johan Willner & Sonja Grönblom, 2021. "Quality provision under conditions of oligopoly," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 103-131, March.
    8. Jwu-Rong Lin & Ching-Yu Chen & Tso-Kwei Peng, 2017. "Study of the Relevance of the Quality of Care, Operating Efficiency and Inefficient Quality Competition of Senior Care Facilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, September.
    9. Jay Pil Choi & Arijit Mukherjee, 2020. "Optimal certification policy, entry, and investment in the presence of public signals," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 51(4), pages 989-1013, December.
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    11. Cui, Xue & Shibata, Takashi, 2017. "Investment strategies, reversibility, and asymmetric information," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 263(3), pages 1109-1122.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asymmetric information; Product quality; Adverse selection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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