Challenges for Empirical Research on RPM

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Alexander MacKay ; David A. Smith
• 关键词：Antitrust issues and policies ; Antitrust law ; Firm behavior ; empirical analysis ; Resale price maintenance ; Welfare economics
• 刊名：Review of Industrial Organization
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：March 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：50
• 期：2
• 页码：209-220
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Business and Economics
• 刊物主题：Industrial Organization; Microeconomics;
• 出版者：Springer US
• ISSN：1573-7160
• 卷排序：50

文摘

This article discusses the empirical challenges that researchers face when demonstrating the existence and effects of resale price maintenance (RPM). We outline three approaches for finding price effects of RPM and the corresponding hurdles in data and methodology. We show that the quantity test that was suggested by Posner (Univ Chic Law Rev 45(1):1–20, 1977; Univ Chic Law Rev 48:6–26, 1981) does not identify the change to welfare when demand-enhancing effects are considered generally. Finally, we present some solutions to the challenge of identifying welfare effects, and we suggest guidelines for future research.