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Demand rationing in Bertrand-Edgeworth markets with fixed capacities: An experiment

Martin Jacobs and Till Requate ()

No 2016-03, Economics Working Papers from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics

Abstract: This study is the first to investigate the effect of demand rationing in experimental Bertrand-Edgeworth markets with fixed exogenous capacities. It is found that prices and profits are significantly higher under proportional than under efficient demand rationing. Moreover, the amount of capacity available to each firm is varied. In accordance with earlier studies, prices and profits are significantly higher when capacities are lower. Those effects accord qualitatively with the Nash equilibrium predictions of the corresponding stage games. However, the Nash equilibrium concept does poorly at quantitative predictions. Prices are significantly higher than the Nash prediction in all treatments, irrespective of whether the Nash equilibrium is in mixed or in pure strategies. Profits are higher than the Nash prediction with high capacities, but may converge to the equilibrium prediction in the long run with low capacities. The data of individual price choices feature dynamic patterns that can potentially be explained by both Edgeworth price cycles and imitation of the price set by the competitor.

Keywords: Bertrand-Edgeworth; demand rationing; Edgeworth cycles; oligopoly; laboratory experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C90 D43 L13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com and nep-exp
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:cauewp:201603

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