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The Relative Rigidity of Monopoly Pricing

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  • Julio Rotemberg
  • Garth Saloner

Abstract

This paper seeks to explain why monopolies keep their nominal prices constant for longer periods than do tight oligopolies. We provide two possible explanations. The first is based on the presence of a small fixed cost of changing prices. The second, on small costs of discovering the optimal price. The incentive to change price for duopolists producing differentiated products exceeds that of a single monopolistic firm which produced the same tange of products as the duopoly.
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Suggested Citation

  • Julio Rotemberg & Garth Saloner, 1986. "The Relative Rigidity of Monopoly Pricing," Working papers 414, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mit:worpap:414
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. George A. Akerlof & Janet L. Yellen, 1985. "A Near-Rational Model of the Business Cycle, with Wage and Price Inertia," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 100(Supplemen), pages 823-838.
    2. Paul M. Sweezy, 1939. "Demand Under Conditions of Oligopoly," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 47, pages 568-568.
    3. Blanchard, Olivier J. & Kiyotaki, Nobuhiro, 1985. "Monopolistic Competition, Aggregate Demand Externalities and Real Effects Of Nominal Money," SSRI Workshop Series 292672, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Social Systems Research Institute.
    4. Rotemberg, Julio J, 1982. "Sticky Prices in the United States," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(6), pages 1187-1211, December.
    5. Olivier J. Blanchard & Nobuhiro Kiyotaki, 1985. "Monopolistic Competition, Aggregate Externalities and real Effects of Nominal Money," Working papers 401, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    6. Carlton, Dennis W, 1986. "The Rigidity of Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(4), pages 637-658, September.
    7. Eytan Sheshinski & Yoram Weiss, 1977. "Inflation and Costs of Price Adjustment," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 44(2), pages 287-303.
    8. M. Bronfenbrenner, 1940. "Applications of the Discontinuous Oligopoly Demand Curve," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48, pages 420-420.
    9. George J. Stigler, 1947. "The Kinky Oligopoly Demand Curve and Rigid Prices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55, pages 432-432.
    10. Simon, Julian L, 1969. "A Further Test of the Kinky Oligopoly Demand Curve," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(5), pages 971-975, December.
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