Consumer privacy and serial monopoly

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bhaskar, V; Roketskiy, Nikita
• 署名单位: University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of London; University College London
• 刊物名称: RAND JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0741-6261
• DOI: 10.1111/1756-2171.12396
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 917-944
• 关键词: market; equilibrium; INFORMATION; INVESTMENT; POWER; MODEL

摘要

We examine the implications of consumer privacy when preferences today depend upon past consumption choices, and consumers shop from different sellers in each period. Although consumers are ex ante identical, their initial consumption choices cannot be deterministic. Thus, ex post heterogeneity in preferences arises endogenously. Consumer privacy improves social welfare, consumer surplus and the profits of the second-period seller, while reducing the profits of the first period seller, relative to the situation where consumption choices are observed by the later seller.