IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/ucbecw/7166.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Wholesale Price Discrimination: Inference and Simulation

Author

Listed:
  • Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto

Abstract

This paper makes inferences about wholesale price discrimination and uniform wholesale pricing policy in a national grocery retail market where wholesale price discrimination occurs. I estimate demand and a supply model of multiple retailers’ and manufacturers’ oligopoly-pricing behavior where manufacturers may engage in wholesale price discrimination, which allows me to recover brand level marginal costs in this market. Then I simulate the welfare effects of no wholesale price discrimination via uniform price regulation given observed data on retail and input prices and retail quantities sold and not available data on wholesale prices. This approach uses retail level scanner data on coffee produced by multiple manufacturers sold at the largest retail outlets in Germany. The estimates of uniform wholesale pricing in this market suggest there to be positive welfare effects from preventing wholesale price discrimination, originating from positive effects on consumer surplus of the same magnitude as on joint vertical producer surplus. I show through simulations that estimated welfare decreases, due to higher retail prices under no wholesale price discrimination, for more collusive retail and manufacturer counterfactual scenarios. Finally, and in terms of counterfactual demand simulations, I find that banning wholesale price discrimination may be actually welfare improving the less heterogeneous and the more elastic demand is.

Suggested Citation

  • Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto, 2007. "Wholesale Price Discrimination: Inference and Simulation," CUDARE Working Papers 7166, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:ucbecw:7166
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.7166
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/7166/files/wp071017.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.7166?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bonnet, Céline & Dubois, Pierre & Simioni, Michel, 2004. "Two-Part Tariffs versus Linear Pricing between Manufacturers and Retailers: Empirical Tests on Differentiated Products Markets," IDEI Working Papers 370, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse, revised Apr 2006.
    2. Hanemann, W Michael, 1984. "Discrete-Continuous Models of Consumer Demand," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 541-561, May.
    3. Kenneth S. Corts, 1998. "Third-Degree Price Discrimination in Oligopoly: All-Out Competition and Strategic Commitment," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(2), pages 306-323, Summer.
    4. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt0z26d2v9 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Smith, Richard J, 1992. "Non-nested.Tests for Competing Models Estimated by Generalized Method of Moments," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(4), pages 973-980, July.
    6. Dubin, Jeffrey A & McFadden, Daniel L, 1984. "An Econometric Analysis of Residential Electric Appliance Holdings and Consumption," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(2), pages 345-362, March.
    7. Draganska, Michaela & Klapper, Daniel & Villas-Boas, Sofia B., 2007. "Determinants of Margins in the Distribution Channel: An Empirical Investigation," Research Papers 1959, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    8. McFadden, Daniel L., 1984. "Econometric analysis of qualitative response models," Handbook of Econometrics, in: Z. Griliches† & M. D. Intriligator (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 24, pages 1395-1457, Elsevier.
    9. Varian, Hal R, 1985. "Price Discrimination and Social Welfare," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 870-875, September.
    10. Rey, Patrick & Tirole, Jean, 2007. "A Primer on Foreclosure," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: Mark Armstrong & Robert Porter (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 33, pages 2145-2220, Elsevier.
    11. Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto, 2007. "Using Retail Scanner Data for Upstream Merger Analysis: Counterfactual Experiments in the Retail Coffee Market," CUDARE Working Papers 7163, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    12. K. Sudhir, 2001. "Structural Analysis of Manufacturer Pricing in the Presence of a Strategic Retailer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 244-264, October.
    13. Rebecca Hellerstein, 2004. "Who Bears the Cost of a Change in the Exchange Rate?," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 589, Econometric Society.
    14. Armstrong, Mark & Vickers, John, 2001. "Competitive Price Discrimination," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 32(4), pages 579-605, Winter.
    15. Nevo, Aviv, 2001. "Measuring Market Power in the Ready-to-Eat Cereal Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(2), pages 307-342, March.
    16. Igal Hendel, 1999. "Estimating Multiple-Discrete Choice Models: An Application to Computerization Returns," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 66(2), pages 423-446.
    17. Villas-Boas, Sofia & Hellerstein, Rebecca, 2006. "Identification of supply models of retailer and manufacturer oligopoly pricing," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 132-140, January.
    18. Schmalensee, Richard, 1981. "Output and Welfare Implications of Monopolistic Third-Degree Price Discrimination," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(1), pages 242-247, March.
    19. Thisse, Jacques-Francois & Vives, Xavier, 1988. "On the Strategic Choice of Spatial Price Policy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(1), pages 122-137, March.
    20. Stéphane Caprice, 2006. "Multilateral Vertical Contracting with an Alternative Supply: The Welfare Effects of a Ban on Price Discrimination," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 28(1), pages 63-80, February.
    21. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt5cn9d0rk is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Draganska, Michaela & Klapper, Daniel, 2006. "Retail Environment and Manufacturer Competitive Intensity," Research Papers 1953, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    23. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt1g19d53k is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Daniel McFadden & Kenneth Train, 2000. "Mixed MNL models for discrete response," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(5), pages 447-470.
    25. Sofia Berto Villas-Boas, 2007. "Using Retail Data For Upstream Merger Analysis," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(4), pages 689-715.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt1g19d53k is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Sofia Berto Villas-Boas, 2007. "Using Retail Data For Upstream Merger Analysis," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(4), pages 689-715.
    3. Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto, 2007. "Using Retail Scanner Data for Upstream Merger Analysis: Counterfactual Experiments in the Retail Coffee Market," CUDARE Working Papers 7163, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    4. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt5cn9d0rk is not listed 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. Sofia Berto Villas‐Boas, 2009. "An empirical investigation of the welfare effects of banning wholesale price discrimination," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 40(1), pages 20-46, March.
    2. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt7vg17026 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Sofia Berto Villas-Boas, 2007. "Vertical Relationships between Manufacturers and Retailers: Inference with Limited Data," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 74(2), pages 625-652.
    4. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt0z26d2v9 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Céline Bonnet & Pierre Dubois, 2010. "Inference on vertical contracts between manufacturers and retailers allowing for nonlinear pricing and resale price maintenance," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 41(1), pages 139-164, March.
    6. Céline Bonnet, 2007. "Économétrie de la concurrence entre produits différenciés : théorie et méthodes empiriques," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 83(4), pages 555-580.
    7. Stole, Lars A., 2007. "Price Discrimination and Competition," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: Mark Armstrong & Robert Porter (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 34, pages 2221-2299, Elsevier.
    8. Kidokoro, Yukihiro, 2016. "A micro foundation for discrete choice models with multiple categories of goods," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 54-72.
    9. Akio Kawasaki, 2020. "Airport pricing strategy by hub airports: does the number of local airports matter?," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 835-857, October.
    10. Bonnet, Céline & Richards, Timothy J., 2016. "Models of Consumer Demand for Differentiated Products," TSE Working Papers 16-741, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    11. Villas-Boas, Sofia Berto, 2007. "Using Retail Scanner Data for Upstream Merger Analysis: Counterfactual Experiments in the Retail Coffee Market," CUDARE Working Papers 7163, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    12. Yukihiro Kidokoro, 2015. "Discrete choice models for multicategory goods," GRIPS Discussion Papers 15-08, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
    13. Liu, Qihong & Shuai, Jie, 2013. "Multi-dimensional price discrimination," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 417-428.
    14. Juan Sebastian Vélez-Velásquez, 2020. "Banning Price Discrimination under Imperfect Competition: Evidence from Colombia's Broadband," Borradores de Economia 1148, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    15. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt1g19d53k is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt5nq6h34n is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Nicholas Economides & Katja Seim & V. Brian Viard, 2008. "Quantifying the benefits of entry into local phone service," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(3), pages 699-730, September.
    18. Bhat, Chandra R., 2005. "A multiple discrete-continuous extreme value model: formulation and application to discretionary time-use decisions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 679-707, September.
    19. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt3fq869bb is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Andrew Rhodes & Jidong Zhou, 2024. "Personalized Pricing and Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 114(7), pages 2141-2170, July.
    21. Miravete, Eugenio & Seim, Katja & Thurk, Jeff, 2013. "Complexity, Efficiency, and Fairness of Multi-Product Monopoly Pricing," CEPR Discussion Papers 9641, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    22. repec:cdl:agrebk:qt5cn9d0rk is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Youping Li, 2017. "Differential Pricing in Intermediate Good Markets," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 585-596, September.
    24. Galera, Francisco & Zaratiegui, Jesus M., 2006. "Welfare and output in third-degree price discrimination: A note," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 605-611, May.
    25. 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.
    26. Simshauser, Paul, 2018. "Price discrimination and the modes of failure in deregulated retail electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 54-70.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;

    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:ags:ucbecw:7166. 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: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dabrkus.html .

    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.