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Secret contracting in multilateral relations

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  • Rey, Patrick
  • Vergé, Thibaud

Abstract

We develop a general, tractable framework of multilateral vertical contracting, which places no restriction on tari§s and fully accounts for their impact on downstream competition. Equilibrium tariffs are cost-based and replicate the outcome of a multi-brand oligopoly, a finding in line with the analysis of a recent merger. We provide a micro-foundation for this framework, before analyzing the effect of RPM and price parity provisions, and of resale vs. agency business models. Finally, we extend the framework to endogenize the distribution network; we also consider mergers and show that their impact on the distribution network can dominate price effects

Suggested Citation

  • Rey, Patrick & Vergé, Thibaud, 2016. "Secret contracting in multilateral relations," TSE Working Papers 16-744, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Dec 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:31289
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    Cited by:

    1. Padilla, Jorge & Piccolo, Salvatore, 2020. "Does direct connect benefit travellers?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    2. Emmanuel Petrakis & Panagiotis Skartados, 2022. "Vertical Opportunism, Bargaining, and Share-Based Agreements," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 60(4), pages 549-565, June.
    3. BjØrn Olav Johansen & Thibaud Vergé, 2017. "Platform Price Parity Clauses with Direct Sales," Working Papers 2017-45, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    4. Emmanuel Petrakis & Panagiotis Skartados, 2021. "Strategic profit‐sharing in a unionized differentiated goods oligopoly," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(2), pages 582-622, May.
    5. Thomas Kopp & Richard J. Sexton, 2021. "Farmers, Traders, and Processors: Buyer Market Power and Double Marginalization in Indonesia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 543-568, March.
    6. Allain, Marie-Laure & Avignon, Rémi & Chambolle, Claire, 2020. "Purchasing alliances and product variety," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    7. Jeon, Doh-Shin & Lefouili, Yassine, 2020. "Decentralizing Cooperation through Upstream Bilateral Agreements," CEPR Discussion Papers 14974, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Emanuele Bacchiega & Olivier Bonroy, 2021. "Secret contracting and Nash-in-Nash bargaining," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(11), pages 1-7, November.
    9. Michele Bisceglia & Jorge Padilla & Salvatore Piccolo, 2019. "When Prohibiting Platform Parity Agreements Harms Consumers," CSEF Working Papers 542, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    10. Petrakis, Emmanuel & Skartados, Panagiotis, 2022. "Disclosure regime of contract terms and bargaining in vertical markets," UC3M Working papers. Economics 34144, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    11. Chambolle, Claire & Christin, Clémence & Molina, Hugo, 2023. "Buyer power and exclusion: A progress report," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Alipranti, Maria & Manasakis, Constantine & Petrakis, Emmanuel, 2024. "Corporate social responsibility and bargaining in unionized markets," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 949-965.
    13. Céline Bonnet & Zohra Bouamra‐Mechemache & Hugo Molina, 2025. "The Buyer Power Effect of Retail Mergers: An Empirical Model of Bargaining with Equilibrium of Fear," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 56(2), pages 194-215, June.
    14. Ulsaker, Simen A., 2020. "Competing buyers, rent extraction and inefficient exclusion," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    15. Papadopoulos, Konstantinos G. & Petrakis, Emmanuel & Skartados, Panagiotis, 2021. "The ambiguous competitive effects of passive partial forward integration," UC3M Working papers. Economics 33354, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    16. Konstantinos G. Papadopoulos & Emmanuel Petrakis & Panagiotis Skartados, 2022. "The ambiguous competitive effects of passive partial forward ownership," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 89(2), pages 540-568, October.
    17. Milliou, Chrysovalantou, 2020. "Vertical integration without intrafirm trade," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    18. Alipranti, Maria & Petrakis, Emmanuel, 2020. "Fixed fee discounts and Bertrand competition in vertically related markets," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 19-26.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bilateral contracting; vertical relationships; agency; resale price maintenance; price parity clauses;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts

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