A Leverage Theory of Tying in Two-Sided Markets with Nonnegative Price Constraints

B-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
Year: 2021
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 283-337

Authors (2)

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

Motivated by recent antitrust cases in markets with zero-pricing, we develop a leverage theory of tying in two-sided markets. In the presence of the nonnegative price constraint, the Chicago school critique of tie-ins fails to hold. In the independent products case, tying provides a mechanism to circumvent the constraint in the tied market without inviting aggressive responses by the rival firm. In the complementary products case, the "price squeeze" mechanism cannot be used to extract surplus from the more efficient rival firm without tying. We identify conditions under which tying in two-sided markets is profitable and explore its welfare implications.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmic:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:283-337
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25