Strategic Obfuscation and Consumer Protection Policy

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Industrial Economics
Year: 2014
Volume: 62
Issue: 4
Pages: 632-660

Authors (2)

Yiquan Gu (University of Reading) Tobias Wenzel (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

type="main"> <p>This paper studies obfuscation decisions by firms. We show that more prominent firms are more likely to obfuscate. While prominent firms always choose maximum obfuscation, the obfuscation by less prominent firms depends on the degree of asymmetry in prominence and consumer protection policy. We evaluate the impact of a consumer protection policy that limits the scope of obfuscation. We show that such a policy may not be effective as less prominent firms may increase their obfuscation practice.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:jindec:v:62:y:2014:i:4:p:632-660
Journal Field
Industrial Organization
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25