License auctions when winning bids are financed through debt

We study an auction where two licenses to operate on a new market are sold. Winners finance their bids on a competitive debt market. Due to limited liability, the amount of debt affects their behavior on the product market. In equilibrium, consumer prices are lower than with a beauty contest, where firms obtain their licenses for free. Winning bids are lower than in a model where firms have internal funds. Higher bids cannot be financed due to credit rationing. Expected net firm profits are strictly positive, although firms are a priori identical and have the same information.

Advertising for attention in a consumer search model

We model the idea that when consumers search for products, they first visit the firm whose advertising is more salient. The gains a firm derives from being visited early increase in search costs, so equilibrium advertising increases as search costs rise. This may result in lower firm profits when search costs increase. We extend the basic model by allowing for firm heterogeneity in advertising costs. Firms whose advertising is more salient and therefore raise attention more easily charge lower prices in equilibrium and obtain higher profits. As advertising cost asymmetries increase, aggregate profits increase, advertising falls and welfare increases.Advertising; attention; consumer search; saliency;

Harmful monitoring

Abstract We show that there may be circumstances in which a principal prefers not to observe the project choice of an agent that acts on her behalf. The ability of the agent is private information. Projects differ with respect to the amount of risk. If the principal can observe the project choice of the agent, the latter will use that choice as a signal. In the separating equilibrium, an agent with high ability then chooses a project that is too risky. If more difficult projects require more effort, there are two opposite effects. The shirking effect implies that the agent chooses a project that is too safe. The signaling effect implies that he chooses a project that is too risky. The net effect is ambiguous. We also discuss the implications of our model for promotion policies.

The Commitment Effect of Choosing the Same Bank

In a model where firms use external funds to finance R&D investments, we show that they may prefer to borrow from the same bank, rather than going to competing banks. A monopolist bank will capture more of firms' operating profits. But, these profits will also be higher, since having the same bank serves as a commitment device not to spend too much on R&D. In our model, the latter effect dominates.

Games with possibly naive present-biased players

We propose a solution concept for games that are played among players with present-biased preferences that are possibly naive about their own, or about their opponent’s future time inconsistency. Our perception-perfect outcome essentially requires each player to take an action consistent with the subgame perfect equilibrium, given her perceptions concerning future types, and under the assumption that other present and future players have the same perceptions. Applications include a common pool problem and Rubinstein bargaining. When players are naive about their own time inconsistency and sophisticated about their opponent’s, the common pool problem is exacerbated, and Rubinstein bargaining breaks down completely.</p

The Effects of Cartelization on Product Design

We consider the following model. First, two firms choose locations on a Hotelling line. Second, they play a repeated price-setting game, in which they may be able to collude. Transportation costs are quadratic. We show that if firms collude in the location stage, they choose locations that coincide with the social optimum, provided that the discount factor is high enough. If the discount factor is lower, the firms locate further apart. Furthermore, we show that if firms choose locations non-cooperatively, they both locate in the middle of the line, again provided that the discount factor is high enough. If the discount factor is lower, the firms locate further apart. Thus, with the possibility of a price cartel and a discount rate that is sufficiently high, Hotelling’s principle of minimum differentiation is restored