Beyond myopic best response (in Cournot competition)

A Nash Equilibrium is a joint strategy profile at which each agent myopically plays a best response to the other agents' strategies, ignoring the possibility that deviating from the equilibrium could lead to an avalanche of successive changes by other agents. However, such changes could potentially be beneficial to the agent, creating incentive to act non-myopically, so as to take advantage of others' responses. To study this phenomenon, we consider a non-myopic Cournot competition, where each firm selects whether it wants to maximize profit (as in the classical Cournot competition) or to maximize revenue (by masquerading as a firm with zero production costs). The key observation is that profit may actually be higher when acting to maximize revenue, (1) which will depress market prices, (2) which will reduce the production of other firms, (3) which will gain market share for the revenue maximizing firm, (4) which will, overall, increase profits for the revenue maximizing firm. Implicit in this line of thought is that one might take other firms' responses into account when choosing a market strategy. The Nash Equilibria of the non-myopic Cournot competition capture this action/response issue appropriately, and this work is a step towards understanding the impact of such strategic manipulative play in markets. We study the properties of Nash Equilibria of non-myopic Cournot competition with linear demand functions and show existence of pure Nash Equilibria, that simple best response dynamics will produce such an equilibrium, and that for some natural dynamics this convergence is within linear time. This is in contrast to the well known fact that best response dynamics need not converge in the standard myopic Cournot competition. Furthermore, we compare the outcome of the non-myopic Cournot competition with that of the standard myopic Cournot competition. Not surprisingly, perhaps, prices in the non-myopic game are lower and the firms, in total, produce more and have a lower aggregate utility

A theory of dynamic tariff and quota retaliation

This paper establishes relationships between static Nash equilibria and dynamic Markov perfect equilibria of tariff and quota retaliation games. In supermodular games where tariffs are strategic complements, the steady state of every, symmetric Markov perfect equilibrium must have lower tariffs than in the static equilibrium. If tariffs are strategic substitutes, tariffs in the dynamic game are higher than in the static equilibrium. The supermodular case is extended to quota competition. Instead of the well-known non-equivalence between tariff and quota retaliation outcomes under complete myopia, in some circumstances, free trade can be supported in the steady state of a Markov perfect equilibrium, regardless of whether policies employed are quotas or tariffs. We reach the conclusion that the effect of introducing dynamics crucially depends on whether the policy instruments employed by the countries are strategic substitutes or complements irrespective of whether they are tariffs or quotas.Foreign trade policy; Tariff; Quota; Retaliation; Dynamic Game; Markov perfect equilibrium; Supermodular games

A Theory of Dynamic Tariff and Quota Retaliation

This paper characterizes, under the most general conditions to date, the steady-state equilibria of a symmetric, two-country trade model in which countries move in alternating-move, dynamic either tariffsetting or quota-setting games in Markov Perfect strategies, and compares the respective equilibrium level of tariffs and quotas with the corresponding pairs in the equilibria of static games. Our results imply that the alleged non-equivalence of the outcomes of tariff-retaliation (neither free trade nor autarky) and quota-retaliation (asymptotic autarky) games in the literature depends crucially on complete myopia, and can be dismissed altogether once dynamic considerations are introduced in an operationally significant manner.Foreign trade policy; Tariff; Quota; Retaliation; Dynamic Game; Markov perfect equilibrium; Supermodular games

A Modified Yardstick Competition Mechanism

This paper analyzes a modified yardstick competition mechanism (MYC), where the yardstick employed consists of a tariff basket and total costs. This mechanism has a significant information advantage: the regulator "only" needs to observe total costs and output of all firms. The modified yardstick competition mechanism can ensure a socially optimal outcome when allowing for spatial and second degree price discrimination, without increasing the informational requirements. We also introduce regulatory lags in the model. A systematic comparison between the results of traditional yardstick regulation and modified yardstick regulation is carried out. Finally, we discuss the applicability of the mechanism.Regulation, Yardstick competition, Mechanism design, Information asymmetry

Strategic Behaviour of Firms in a Duopoly and the Impact of Extending the Patenting Period

This paper deals with strategic behaviour of firms in a duopoly, subsequent to the claim by one firm that it has reduced the unit cost of production. A variety of possible strategic equilibria are discussed in the context of a duopoly game between a multinational and a local firm. In the context of an extended uniform period of patenting, as finally agreed in the Uruguay round (1994), firms have increased incentive to take patents. In the presence of cost differences, the act of taking process-patents has implications for the equilibrium output strategies of the duopoly firms and sometimes may have a negative overall welfare effect for the local producer and consumers

Anti-Limit Pricing

Extending Milgrom and Roberts (1982), we analyze an infinite horizon entry model where an incumbent may use its current price to signal its strength, in order to deter entry. In contrast with conventional limit pricing, we show the entry of weaker firms. We also provide necessary and sufficient conditions for this phenomenon to arise in equilibrium, in the benchmark cases that no second entry is profitable.Dynamic Signaling, Limit Pricing, Entry Deterrence

Strategic control of myopic best reply in repeated games

How can a rational player strategically control a myopic best reply player in a repeated two-player game? We show that in games with strategic substitutes or strategic complements the optimal control strategy is monotone in the initial action of the opponent, in time periods, and in the discount rate. As an interesting example outside this class of games we present a repeated ``textbook-like'' Cournot duopoly with non-negative prices and show that the optimal control strategy involves a cycle.strategic teaching, learning, adaptive heuristics, dynamic optimization, strategic substitutes, strategic complements, myopic players

Essays on Imperfect and Dynamic Competition

This dissertation studies issues of imperfect and dynamic competition taking as motivation strategic interaction in the United States paper industry. The components of this work focus on both theoretical and empirical issues that arise in asymmetric oligopoly markets more generally. The first chapter considers that when consumers recycle a good, the future supply of intermediate inputs increases. If some of the inputs are used to manufacture a good that competes with the original good, the initial seller faces an incentive to reduce its supply to limit this source of future competition. I illustrate this incentive in a model of dynamic oligopoly, and test the predictions using data from the US paper industry between 1973 and 1993. I find that firms decrease quantity in response to policy changes that increase competition from firms using the recycled input. I then use the model to illustrate two implications: (i) the response to strategic incentives may lead antitrust authorities to underestimate the exercise of pre-merger market power, and horizontal mergers let firms internalize their effects on future competition, resulting in a greater supply reduction post-merger; and (ii) the policy trade-off between reducing harms from pollution and reducing the exercise of market power under oligopoly is sharper when firms respond to dynamic incentives. In the second chapter, I develop a tractable oligopoly model that preserves many of the predictions of the dominant firm model. Antitrust policy looks with skepticism on dominant firms as they are in position to leverage the position into higher profits at the expense of consumers and rival firms. I show the equilibrium price is higher and market share of the dominant firm is smaller in the dominant firm model in comparison to my oligopoly model. This suggests that the assumption on supply side strategic behavior are important for market outcomes. When the number of leaders is endogenous, more firms enter when rivals are price-takers. This result suggests barriers to entry must be high to sustain dominant market structures.Doctor of Philosoph