Protecting buyers from fine print

B-Tier
Journal: European Economic Review
Year: 2016
Volume: 89
Issue: C
Pages: 42-54

Authors (2)

D׳Agostino, Elena (not in RePEc) Seidmann, Daniel J. (University of Nottingham)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

Buyers typically do not read the fine print in contracts, providing an incentive for a monopolist to draft terms which are unfavorable to buyers. We model this problem, proving that trade must then be inefficient. We show that regulation which mandates efficient terms raises welfare. More interestingly, regulations which prohibit the least efficient terms may reduce welfare by inducing the monopolist not to offer favorable terms. We extend these results to markets in which some buyers are naive, showing that prohibiting the least efficient terms may also harm the naive buyers.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:eecrev:v:89:y:2016:i:c:p:42-54
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29