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Consumers and Competition

Author

Listed:
  • Waterson, Michael

    (Department of Economics, University of Warwick)

Abstract

This paper shows that even if all consumers face search costs, if these are below a certain level dependent upon the firm numbers and demand elasticity, the Diamond-type equilibrium with all prices at the monopoly level fails to exist.

Suggested Citation

  • Waterson, Michael, 2003. "Consumers and Competition," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 679, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:wrk:warwec:679
    as

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    File URL: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/workingpapers/2008/twerp679.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Domberger, Simon & Sherr, Avrom, 1989. "The impact of competition on pricing and quality of legal services," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 41-56, June.
    2. Simon P. Anderson & Regis Renault, 1999. "Pricing, Product Diversity, and Search Costs: A Bertrand-Chamberlin-Diamond Model," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 30(4), pages 719-735, Winter.
    3. Rees, Ray, 1993. "Collusive Equilibrium in the Great Salt Duopoly," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 103(419), pages 833-848, July.
    4. Hehenkamp, Burkhard, 2002. "Sluggish Consumers: An Evolutionary Solution to the Bertrand Paradox," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 44-76, July.
    5. Diamond, Peter A., 1971. "A model of price adjustment," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 156-168, June.
    6. Stahl, Dale O, II, 1989. "Oligopolistic Pricing with Sequential Consumer Search," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(4), pages 700-712, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Diamond Paradox ; Search Behaviour ; Oligopoly pricing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory

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