This paper has two objectives. First, we present the logit model of discrete consumer choice and apply it to an oligopoly model of product differentiation. Second, we reconsider the question of monopolistic competition and optimal product diversity. The model suggests that when the market...

There is a growing interest in using the discrete choice approach to study oligopolistic competition under product differentiation, and a prominent discrete choic model is the multinomial logit. Here we analyze various aspects of the logit in this context. We first show that the predictions of...

This paper considers the relative efficiency of ad valorem and unit taxes in imperfectly competitive markets. We provide a simple proof that ad valorem taxes are welfare-superior to unit taxes in the short run when production costs are identical across firms. The proof covers differentiated...

We analyze the incidence of ad valorem and unit excise taxes in an oligopolistic industry with differentiated products and price-setting (Bertrand) firms. Both taxes may be passed on to consumers by more than 100 percent, and an increase in the tax rate can increase short run firm profits (and...

This paper lays out and elaborates upon the properties of an extended Chamberlinian model with applications both in Industrial Organization and Economic Geography/ Urban Economics. The framework is used to explain the impact of some major changes over the last two centuries: reductions in...