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A difficulty with the address models of product differentiation

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  • Martin Peitz

    (Departamento Fundamentos del AnaÂlisis EconoÕmico, University of Alicante, E-03071 Alicante, SPAIN)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Peitz, 1999. "A difficulty with the address models of product differentiation," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 14(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
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Klemperer, 1995. "Competition when Consumers have Switching Costs: An Overview with Applications to Industrial Organization, Macroeconomics, and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(4), pages 515-539.
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    5. Martin Peitz, 1998. "- Two-Stage Models Of Product Differentiation With Unit-Elastic Demand," Working Papers. Serie AD 1998-18, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    6. Peitz, Martin, 1997. "Differentiated Bertrand duopoly with variable demand," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 85-100, June.
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    11. ANDERSON, Simon P. & de PALMA, André & THISSE, Jacques-François, 1992. "Interpretations of the logit discrete choice models and the theory of product differentiation," LIDAM Reprints CORE 1017, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    12. Cremer, Helmuth & Thisse, Jacques-Francois, 1991. "Location Models of Horizontal Differentiation: A Special Case of Vertical Differentiation Models," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 383-390, June.
    13. Economides, Nicholas, 1989. "Symmetric equilibrium existence and optimality in differentiated product markets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 178-194, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pia Weiß, 2001. "Product and Process Innovations in a Horizontally Differentiated Product Market," IWP Discussion Paper Series 07/2001, Institute for Economic Policy, Cologne, Germany.
    2. Peitz, Martin, 2000. "Aggregation in a Model of Price Competition," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 1-38, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Product differentiation; Unit demand; Heterogeneous income; Discrete choice.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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