Competitive Information Disclosure in Search Markets

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2018
Volume: 126
Issue: 5
Pages: 1965 - 2010

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

Buyers often search across sellers to learn which product best fits their needs. We study how sellers manage these search incentives through their disclosure strategies (e.g., product trials, reviews, and recommendations) and ask how competition affects information provision. If sellers can observe the beliefs of buyers or can coordinate their strategies, then there is an equilibrium in which sellers provide the "monopoly level" of information. In contrast, if buyers' beliefs are private, then there is an equilibrium in which sellers provide full information as search costs vanish. Anonymity and coordination thus play important roles in understanding how advice markets work.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/699211
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24