Searching for a Bargain: Power of Strategic Commitment

B-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
Year: 2015
Volume: 7
Issue: 1
Pages: 320-53

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

This paper shows that in a multilateral bargaining setting where the sellers compete á la Bertrand, a range of prices that includes the monopoly price and 0 are compatible with equilibrium, even in the limit where the reputational concerns and frictions vanish. In particular, the incentive of committing to a specific demand, the opportunity of building reputation about inflexibility, and the anxiety of preserving their reputation can tilt players' bargaining power in such a way that being deemed as a tough bargainer is bad for the competing players, and thus, price undercutting is not optimal for the sellers. (JEL C78, D43, D83)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmic:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:320-53
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-26