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Trilateral Contract and the Hold-up Problem

Author

Listed:
  • Regine Oexl

    (Università di Padova)

Abstract

We present a novel solution for the hold up problem, when more than two parties are involved. The case we consider is a company selling identical products to two buyers that have a common interest in inducing the seller to make a quality enhancing investment. We show that a trilateral contract may provide the correct incentives to restore optimal efficiency. The contract induces a coalition proof Nash equilibrium and holds under complete as well as incomplete information. The extension to more than two buyers is straightforward.

Suggested Citation

  • Regine Oexl, 2011. "Trilateral Contract and the Hold-up Problem," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0126, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    • Handle: RePEc:pad:wpaper:0126
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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