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Enhancing Market Power by Reducing Switching Costs

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Bouckaert
  • Hans Degryse
  • Thomas Provoost
Abstract
Competing firms often have the possibility to jointly determine the magnitude of consumers’ switching costs. Examples include compatibility decisions and the option of introducing number portability in telecom and banking. We put forward a model where firms jointly decide to reduce switching costs before competing in prices during two periods. We demonstrate that the outcome hinges crucially on how the joint action reduces consumers’ switching costs. In particular, firms will enhance their market power if they implement measures that reduce consumers’ switching costs by a lump sum. Conversely, they will preserve market power by not implementing actions that reduce switching costs proportionally. Hence, when policy makers design consumer protection policies, they should not always adopt a favourable attitude towards efforts by firms to reduce switching costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Bouckaert & Hans Degryse & Thomas Provoost, 2008. "Enhancing Market Power by Reducing Switching Costs," CESifo Working Paper Series 2449, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2449
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Klemperer, 1995. "Competition when Consumers have Switching Costs: An Overview with Applications to Industrial Organization, Macroeconomics, and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(4), pages 515-539.
    2. repec:bla:jindec:v:49:y:2001:i:3:p:281-98 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Stefan Buehler & Justus Haucap, 2004. "Mobile Number Portability," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 223-238, September.
    4. Paul Klemperer & A. Jorge Padilla, 1997. "Do Firms' Product Lines Include Too Many Varieties?," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 28(3), pages 472-488, Autumn.
    5. Buehler, Stefan & Dewenter, Ralf & Haucap, Justus, 2006. "Mobile number portability in Europe," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 385-399, August.
    6. Fershtman, Chaim & Gandal, Neil, 1994. "Disadvantageous semicollusion," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 141-154, June.
    7. Farrell, Joseph & Klemperer, Paul, 2007. "Coordination and Lock-In: Competition with Switching Costs and Network Effects," Handbook of Industrial Organization, Elsevier.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Pablo Atal & Hanming Fang & Martin Karlsson & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2019. "Exit, Voice, or Loyalty? An Investigation Into Mandated Portability of Front‐Loaded Private Health Plans," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 86(3), pages 697-727, September.
    2. Baah Kusi & Elikplimi Agbloyor & Agyapomaa Gyeke‐Dako & Simplice Asongu, 2022. "Financial sector transparency, financial crises and market power: A cross‐country evidence," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 4431-4450, October.
    3. Biglaiser, Gary & Crémer, Jacques & Dobos, Gergely, 2016. "Heterogeneous switching costs," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 62-87.
    4. Usero Sánchez, Belén & Asimakopoulos, Grigorios, 2012. "Regulation and competition in the European mobile communications industry: An examination of the implementation of mobile number portability," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 187-196.
    5. Basaure, Arturo & Suomi, Henna & Hämmäinen, Heikki, 2014. "Effects of transaction and switching costs on mobile market performance," 20th ITS Biennial Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2014: The Net and the Internet - Emerging Markets and Policies 106830, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    6. Mariana O. Silva & Claudio R. Lucinda, 2017. "Switching costs and the extent of potential competition in Brazilian banking," Economia, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics], vol. 17(1), pages 117-128.
    7. Biglaiser, Gary & Crémer, Jacques & Dobos, Gergely, 2013. "The value of switching costs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 148(3), pages 935-952.
    8. Andrew Rhodes, 2014. "Re-examining the effects of switching costs," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 57(1), pages 161-194, September.
    9. Biglaiser, Gary & Crémer, Jacques & Dobos, Gergely, 2013. "Heterogenous switching costs," TSE Working Papers 13-451, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Oct 2015.
    10. Biglaiser, Gary & Crémer, Jacques & Dobos, Gergely, 2013. "Heterogenous switching costs," IDEI Working Papers 809, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
    11. Gary Biglaiser & Jacques Crémer & Gergely Dobos, 2014. "Heterogenous Switching Costs," CESifo Working Paper Series 4587, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    switching costs; market power; welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection

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