A difficulty with the address models of product differentiation
In models of product differentiation and location models it is implicitly assumed that consumers can afford to buy the differentiated goods in the market. I show that with income heterogeneity there are severe existence problems of a price equilibrium in models of horizontal product differentiation with unit demand because some consumers are income-constrained. The result generalizes to other models of product differentiation, search, and switching costs. I present an alternative specification of variable individual demand in which this kind of existence problem cannot arise.
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Volume (Year): 14 (1999)
Issue (Month): 3 ()
Pages: 717-727
| Handle: | RePEc:spr:joecth:v:14:y:1999:i:3:p:717-727 |
| Note: | Received: October 17, 1997; revised version: February 20, 1998 |
| Contact details of provider: | Web page: http://www.springer.com Web page: http://saet.uiowa.edu/
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| Order Information: | Web: http://www.springer.com/economics/economic+theory/journal/199/PS2 |
References listed on IDEAS
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