Technological complementarities, demand, and market power

Rajeev K. Goel1
1Department of Economics, Illinois State University, Normal, USA

Tóm tắt

Recent technological changes in many industries have generated numerous complementary technologies. A key implication of complementary technologies is that the demand for related services has tended to change both qualitatively and quantitatively. While the economics literature has examined various aspects, the effects of technological complementarity have not been fully flushed out. Using a simple model, this paper examines the implications of technological complementarity. How have firms’ pricing abilities changed with complementary technologies? What implications do complementary technologies have for regulation? Results show that technological complementarity has the potential to increase the market power of firms, possibly increasing prices to unprecedented levels. This holds whether demand elasticity is constant or variable. Policy implications are discussed.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Andriychenko, O., Girnius, A., & Saha, A. (2006). Complementary goods: Prices and consumer welfare under duopoly and monopoly. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 13, 373–386. doi:10.1080/13571510600961353. Carlton, D. W., & Perloff, J. M. (2005). Modern industrial organization (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley. Cave, M., & Donnelly, M. (1996). The pricing of international telecommunications services by monopoly operators. Information Economics and Policy, 8, 107–123 Chen, C., & Watanabe, C. (2006). Diffusion, substitution and competition inside the ICT market: The case of Japan. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 73, 731–759. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2005.07.008. Cowling, K., & Waterson, M. (1976). Price–cost margins and market structure. Economica, 43, 267–274. doi:10.2307/2553125. Crandall, R. W. (2005). Competition and chaos. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Duffy-Deno, K. T. (2001). Demand for additional telephone lines: An empirical note. Informations Economics and Policy, 13, 283–299. Eisner, J., & Waldon, T. (2001). The demand for bandwidth: Second telephone lines and on-line services. Informations Economics and Policy, 13, 301–309. Garbacz, C., & Thompson, H. G., Jr. (2005). Universal telecommunications service: A world perspective. Information Economics and Policy, 17, 495–512. doi:10.1016/j.infoecopol.2005.03.001. Goel, R. K. (1999). Economic models of technological change. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Goel, R. K., & Hsieh, E. W. T. (2002). Internet growth and economic theory. NETNOMICS: Economic Research and Electronic Networking, 4, 221–225. doi:10.1023/A:1021225514442. Goel, R. K., Hsieh, E. W. T., Nelson, M. A., & Ram, R. (2006). Demand elasticities for Internet services. Applied Economics, 38, 975–980. doi:10.1080/00036840600581448. Madden, G., & Savage, S. J. (2000). Market structure, competition, and pricing in the United States international telephone service markets. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 82, 291–296. doi:10.1162/003465300558803. McKnight, L. W., & Bailey, J. P. (Eds.) (1997). Internet economics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. McKnight, L. W., & Boroumand, J. (2000). Pricing internet services: After flat rate. Telecommunications Policy, 24, 565–590. Rodini, M., Ward, M. R., & Woroch, G. A. (2003). Going mobile: Substitutability between fixed and mobile services. Telecommunications Policy, 27, 457–476. doi:10.1016/S0308-5961(03)00010-7. Sappington, D. E. M. (2002). Price regulation and incentives. In M. Cave, S. Majumdar, & I. Vogelsang (Eds.), Handbook of telecommunications economics (Vol. I). Amsterdam: North-Holland. Sappington, D. E. M., & Weisman, D. L. (1996). Designing incentive regulation for the telecommunications industry. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.