Storable Good Monopoly: The Role of Commitment

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2006
Volume: 96
Issue: 5
Pages: 1706-1719

Authors (3)

Igal Hendel (not in RePEc) Paolo Dudine (not in RePEc) Alessandro Lizzeri (New York University (NYU))

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We study dynamic monopoly pricing of storable goods in an environment where demand changes over time. The literature on durables has focused on incentives to delay purchases. Our analysis focuses on a different intertemporal demand incentive. The key force on the consumer side is advance purchases or stockpiling. In the case of storable goods, the stockpiling motive has recently been documented empirically. We show that, in this environment, if the monopolist cannot commit, then prices are higher in all periods, and social welfare is lower, than in the case in which the monopolist can commit. This is in contrast with the analysis in the literature on the Coase conjecture. (JEL D21, D42, L12)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:96:y:2006:i:5:p:1706-1719
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25