This paper aims at investigating if the conventional wisdom, that a decrease in the degree of product differentiation (which implies increasing competition) always reduces firms’ profits, remains true in a differentiated duopoly model with decentralized, or firm-specific, monopoly unions. In...

We analyse the stability issue in a Cournot duopoly with asymmetric unionism and heterogeneous players. We show that labour market institutions matter or the stability of the unique interior Cournot-Nash equilibrium. Interestingly, the role played by the existence of firm-specific unions on...

We analyse the dynamics of a Cournot duopoly game with heterogeneous players to investigate the effects of micro-founded differentiated products demand. The present analysis, which modifies and extends Zhang et al. (2007) Zhang, J., Da, Q., Wang, Y., 2007. Analysis of nonlinear duopoly game with...

We study the local stability properties of a duopoly game with price competition, different product quality and heterogeneous expectations. We show that the Nash equilibrium can loose stability through a flip bifurcation when the consumer’s type range increases. This result occurs irrespective...

This paper compares Cournot and Bertrand equilibria in a differentiated duopoly (with imperfect substitutes), total wage bill maximizing unions and labour decreasing returns. It is shown that the standard result, that equilibrium profits are always higher under Cournot, may be reversed even for...

This paper studies equilibrium incentive contracts in a Cournot duopoly, in which institutional arrangements constrain firms to pay (risk-neutral) workers a given salary. In this context, performance-related-pay (PRP) and relative performance evaluation (RPE) are compared in terms of resulting...

We revisit the study of the dynamics of a duopoly game à la Bertrand with horizontal product differentiation and bounded rational firms analysed by Zhang et al. (2009), (Zhang, J., Da, Q., Wang, Y., 2009. The dynamics of Bertrand model with bounded rationality. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 39,...

In this paper the dynamical effects of public environmental policies are investigated in a Cournot duopoly with heterogeneous expectations in a context of limited rationality. It is shown that the introduction of upper limits to emissions always tends to destabilise and generate a chaotic market...

This paper analyses the effects of a downstream merger in a differentiated duopoly under price competition and plant-specific unions. We show, in contrast with the preceding literature, that the standard welfare results may be reversed: a downstream merger may increase consumer surplus and...

Abstract Motivated by the widespread presence both of decentralised unions and cross-participation at ownership level (for instance in Japan and US), this paper aims at investigating whether the conventional wisdom that a reduction in the degree of product differentiation (which increases...