Incomplete Information Bargaining with Outside Opportunities

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 1987
Volume: 102
Issue: 1
Pages: 37-50

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We consider two kinds of "outside opportunity" that a seller of an indivisible good might have: selling to a different buyer and consuming the good herself. In both models the seller is uncertain about the buyer's valuation, and becomes more pessimistic over time. When the seller becomes sufficiently pessimistic, she prefers the outside opportunity, so she will not bargain indefinitely with the current buyer. Despite the resulting finite-horizon nature of negotiations, the link between the buyer's willingness to accept an offer and the seller's eagerness to go "outside" generates multiple equilibria.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:102:y:1987:i:1:p:37-50.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25