Abstract
We investigate private and social incentives for standardization to ensure market-wide system compatibility in a two-dimensional spatial competition model. We develop a new methodology to analyze competition on a torus and show that there is a fundamental conflict of interests between consumers and producers over the standardization decision. Consumers prefer standardization with full compatibility because it offers more variety that confers a better match with their ideal specifications. However, firms are likely to choose the minimal compatibility to maximize product differentiation and soften competition. This is in sharp contrast to the previous literature that shows the alignment of private and social incentives for compatibility.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 106–118 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Games and Economic Behavior |
Volume | 90 |
Early online date | 11 Feb 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2015 |
Keywords
- Compatibility
- System competition
- Standardization
- Spatial competition model