We model the optimal behaviour of a multiproduct monopolist investing both in process and in product innovation in a dynamic setting. Product innovation reduces the degree of substitutability between any two varieties. First, we find that R&D efforts increase in both directions as the number of varieties grows. Second, we characterise the relative intensity of R&D activities according to the reservation price and the interaction between the number of varieties and the degree of product differentiation. Finally, we show the existence of complementarity within the R&D portfolio, i.e., decreasing marginal production cost prompts for an analogous reduction of product substitutability, and conversely.JEL classification: D42, D92, O31.

No abstract

The recent years have exhibited a burst in the amount of collaborative activities among …rms selling complementary products. This paper aims at providing a ra- for their respective components in a noncooperative manner. In equilibrium, …rms end up forming as many collaboration ties as it is possible, although they would all prefer a scenario where collaboration were forbidden. In addition, a social planner would also prefer such a scenario to the one arising in equilibrium. We show that the result that collaboration is ine¢ cient for …rms and society does not depend on whether collaboration ties are formed in an exclusive manner: in fact, exclusivity would only worsen the situation.

We investigate the timing of adoption of product and process innovation by using a differential game in which firms may invest in both activities. We consider horizontal product innovation that reduces product substitutability, and process innovation that reduces marginal cost. First, we demonstrate that the incentive for cost-reducing investment is relatively higher than the incentive to increase product differentiation. Second, depending on initial conditions, (i) firms activate both types of investment from the very outset to the steady state; (ii) firms initially invest only in one R&D activity and then reach the steady state either carrying out only such activity or carrying out both; (iii) firms do not invest at all in either type of innovation.JEL classification: C73, D43, D92, O31.

No abstract

In an extended version of d'Aspremont and Jacquemin's (1988) R&D competition model, we identify a region where the game is a prisoner's dilemma in that region firms' optimal strategy still prescribes to invest in R&D. However, they would obtain a higher profit by not investing at all. A standard Folk Theorem argument suggests that firms implicitly tend to collude and refrain from investing in R&D when their interaction is repeated. When this happens, social welfare shrinks, but we argue that promoting joint research constitutes a remedy to the lack of innovation efforts, rather than the excess thereof.

tIn this paper, we analyze how strategic competition between a green firm and a browncompetitor develops when their products are differentiated along two dimensions: hedonicquality and environmental quality. The former dimension refers to the pure (intrinsic) per-formance of the good, whereas the latter dimension has a positional content: buying greengoods satisfies the consumer’s desire to be portrayed as a socially worthy citizen. We con-sider the case in which these quality dimensions are in conflict with each other so that thehigher the hedonic quality of a good, the lower the corresponding environmental quality.We characterize the equilibrium configurations and discuss the policy implications deriving from ou model

This paper analyses the dynamics of hotel prices listed on Booking.com in the period 2014-16. This period is characterised by the most important antitrust decisions regarding the use of price parity clauses by online travel agencies (OTAs) in the EU. First, we document the dynamics of hotel prices on Booking.com in tourism regions of three EU member states: France, Italy, and Spain. The evidence suggests that prices decreased in 2015, the year in which the major antitrust decisions took place, whereas they bounced back in 2016. Second, we provide both a comprehensive explanation of the previous evidence and a rationalisation based on a theoretical model of the OTAs sector. Overall, our overarching analysis of the price dynamics on Booking.com allows to explain both the impact of removing price parities and the possible response of the OTAs.