IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jogath/v52y2023i2d10.1007_s00182-022-00830-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium in discontinuous Bertrand games: a complete characterization

Author

Listed:
  • R. A. Edwards

    (University of Nottingham)

  • R. R. Routledge

    (University of Liverpool)

Abstract

Since (Reny in Econometrica 67:1029–1056, 1999) a substantial body of research has considered what conditions are sufficient for the existence of a pure strategy Nash equilibrium in games with discontinuous payoffs. This work analyzes a general Bertrand game, with convex costs and an arbitrary sharing rule at price ties, in which tied payoffs may be greater than non-tied payoffs when both are positive. On this domain, necessary and sufficient conditions for (i) the existence of equilibrium (ii) the uniqueness of equilibrium are presented. The conditions are intuitively easy to understand and centre around the relationships between intervals of real numbers determined by the primitives of the model.

Suggested Citation

  • R. A. Edwards & R. R. Routledge, 2023. "Existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium in discontinuous Bertrand games: a complete characterization," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 52(2), pages 569-586, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jogath:v:52:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s00182-022-00830-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s00182-022-00830-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00182-022-00830-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00182-022-00830-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amir, Rabah & Evstigneev, Igor V., 2018. "A new look at the classical Bertrand duopoly," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 99-103.
    2. Steffen Hoernig, 2007. "Bertrand Games and Sharing Rules," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 31(3), pages 573-585, June.
    3. Baye, Michael R. & Morgan, John, 1999. "A folk theorem for one-shot Bertrand games," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 59-65, October.
    4. Hoernig, Steffen H., 2002. "Mixed Bertrand equilibria under decreasing returns to scale: an embarrassment of riches," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 359-362, February.
    5. Jann, Ole & Schottmüller, Christoph, 2015. "Correlated equilibria in homogeneous good Bertrand competition," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 31-37.
    6. Panzar, John C., 1989. "Technological determinants of firm and industry structure," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: R. Schmalensee & R. Willig (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 1, pages 3-59, Elsevier.
    7. Bagh, Adib, 2010. "Pure strategy equilibria in Bertrand games with discontinuous demand and asymmetric tie-breaking rules," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 277-279, September.
    8. Guilherme Carmona, 2013. "Existence and Stability of Nash Equilibrium," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number 8406, December.
    9. Saporiti Alejandro & Coloma Germán, 2010. "Bertrand Competition in Markets with Fixed Costs," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-30, June.
    10. Bernheim, B. Douglas & Peleg, Bezalel & Whinston, Michael D., 1987. "Coalition-Proof Nash Equilibria I. Concepts," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 1-12, June.
    11. Adib Bagh & Alejandro Jofre, 2006. "Reciprocal Upper Semicontinuity and Better Reply Secure Games: A Comment," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 74(6), pages 1715-1721, November.
    12. Blume, Andreas, 2003. "Bertrand without fudge," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 167-168, February.
    13. Dixon, Huw David, 1992. "The Competitive Outcome as the Equilibrium in an Edgeworthian Price-Quantity Model," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(411), pages 301-309, March.
    14. Mas-Colell, Andreu & Whinston, Michael D. & Green, Jerry R., 1995. "Microeconomic Theory," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195102680.
    15. Bos, Iwan & Vermeulen, Dries, 2021. "On pure-strategy Nash equilibria in price–quantity games," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    16. Philip J. Reny, 1999. "On the Existence of Pure and Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibria in Discontinuous Games," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(5), pages 1029-1056, September.
    17. Spulber, Daniel F, 1995. "Bertrand Competition When Rivals' Costs Are Unknown," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 1-11, March.
    18. Prabal Chowdhury & Kunal Sengupta, 2004. "Coalition-proof Bertrand equilibria," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 24(2), pages 307-324, August.
    19. Wambach, Achim, 1999. "Bertrand competition under cost uncertainty," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 17(7), pages 941-951, October.
    20. He, Wei & Yannelis, Nicholas C., 2015. "Discontinuous games with asymmetric information: An extension of Reny's existence theorem," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 26-35.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. R. R. Routledge & R. A. Edwards, 2020. "Ambiguity and price competition," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 88(2), pages 231-256, March.
    2. R. R. Routledge, 2017. "Information, ambiguity and price equilibrium," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 5(2), pages 199-214, October.
    3. Marie-Laure Cabon-Dhersin & Nicolas Drouhin, 2020. "A general model of price competition with soft capacity constraints," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 70(1), pages 95-120, July.
    4. Makoto Yano & Takashi Komatsubara, 2018. "Price competition or price leadership," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 66(4), pages 1023-1057, December.
    5. Marie‐Laure Cabon‐Dhersin & Nicolas Drouhin, 2014. "Tacit Collusion in a One‐Shot Game of Price Competition with Soft Capacity Constraints," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 427-442, June.
    6. R. R. Routledge, 2013. "On the existence of coalition-proof Bertrand equilibrium," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 1(1), pages 21-31, May.
    7. Robert R. Routledge, 2009. "On the existence of Bayesian Bertrand equilibrium," Economics Discussion Paper Series 0917, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    8. Alejandro Saporiti & German Coloma, 2008. "Bertrand's price competition in markets with fixed costs," RCER Working Papers 541, University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER).
    9. Scalzo, Vincenzo, 2020. "Doubly Strong Equilibrium," MPRA Paper 99329, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Saporiti Alejandro & Coloma Germán, 2010. "Bertrand Competition in Markets with Fixed Costs," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-30, June.
    11. Bos, Iwan & Vermeulen, Dries, 2021. "On pure-strategy Nash equilibria in price–quantity games," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    12. Roy Chowdhury, Prabal, 2009. "Free Entry Bertrand Competition," MPRA Paper 17837, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Andersson, Ola & Argenton, Cédric & Weibull, Jörgen W., 2014. "Robustness to strategic uncertainty," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 272-288.
    14. Marie-Laure Cabon-Dhersin & Nicolas Drouhin, 2010. "The end of the Bertrand Paradox?," Post-Print halshs-00542486, HAL.
    15. Steffen Hoernig, 2007. "Bertrand Games and Sharing Rules," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 31(3), pages 573-585, June.
    16. Routledge, Robert R., 2010. "Bertrand competition with cost uncertainty," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 356-359, June.
    17. He, Wei & Yannelis, Nicholas C., 2016. "Existence of equilibria in discontinuous Bayesian games," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 181-194.
    18. Renato Soeiro & Alberto A. Pinto, 2023. "Negative network effects and asymmetric pure price equilibria," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 22(1), pages 99-124, January.
    19. Albano, Gian Luigi & Matros, Alexander, 2005. "(All) Equilibria in a class of bidding games," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 61-66, April.
    20. Philippe Bich & Rida Laraki, 2012. "A Unified Approach to Equilibrium Existence in Discontinuous Strategic Games," Post-Print halshs-00717135, HAL.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Discontinuous payoffs; Existence; Uniqueness; Bertrand competition; Necessary and sufficient conditions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jogath:v:52:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s00182-022-00830-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.