Monopoly and Quality Distortion: Effects and Remedies

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 1987
Volume: 102
Issue: 4
Pages: 743-767

Authors (3)

David Besanko (not in RePEc) Shabtai Donnenfeld Lawrence J. White (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.691 = (α=2.02 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

A monopolist that sells in a market in which consumers differ in their willingness to pay for quality will distort and enlarge the range of products offered for sale. We examine the positive and normative impacts of remedies used to counteract such distortions. For the case of a price ceiling, the monopolist improves quality at the low quality end of the market, offsetting the distortion induced by the unregulated exercise of monopoly power. Social welfare can be shown to increase for a sufficiently slight degree of price regulation. For minimum quality standards, the social welfare implications are ambiguous because the standards may exclude some consumers from the market.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:102:y:1987:i:4:p:743-767
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-02-09