When prohibiting wholesale price-parity agreements may harm consumers

B-Tier
Journal: International Journal of Industrial Organization
Year: 2021
Volume: 76
Issue: C

Authors (3)

Bisceglia, Michele (not in RePEc) Padilla, Jorge (not in RePEc) Piccolo, Salvatore (Università degli Studi di Berg...)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

We study the competitive and welfare effects of wholesale price-parity agreements. These contracts prevent a monopolist, who sells its product to final consumers both directly and indirectly through alternative distribution channels, to charge different input (wholesale) prices to competing intermediaries (e.g., platforms). In a multi-channel and multi-layered industry, organized as an agency business model, we find that the monopolist and the intermediaries do not necessarily have aligned incentives concerning the introduction of wholesale price-parity. While these agreements always hurt the monopolist, they may benefit the intermediaries when competition between the direct and the indirect distribution channels is sufficiently intense. Moreover, when this is the case, in contrast to retail price-parity agreements that typically reduce consumer welfare, wholesale price-parity may also benefit consumers.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:indorg:v:76:y:2021:i:c:s016771872100031x
Journal Field
Industrial Organization
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29