Skip to main content
Log in

A flat-kinded demand function for oligopolistic sellers of homogeneous products

  • Articles
  • Published:
Review of Industrial Organization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Through half a century of controversy over the complexities of oligopolies and their kinked demand functions one simple aspect of the kinkiness has been by-passed. Invariably the kinked demand functions are represented as lines sloping away from the starting price even though some oligopolies are sellers of homogeneous products. Competition among sellers of identical goods demands variations in the standard kinked demand device to adequately explain their market behavior. A flat-kinked function is logically necessary to illustrate the marker for the homogeneous products of oligopolistic sellers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • M. Bronfenbrenner, “Applications of the Discontinuous Oligopoly Demand Curve,” J. Polit. Econ., June 1940, 48, 420–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C. W. Efroymson, “A Note of Kinked Demand Curves,” Amer. Econ. Rev., March 1943, 33, 98–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, “The Kinked Oligopoly Curve Reconsidered,” Quar. J. Econ., Feb. 1955, 69, 119–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavin C. Reid, THE KINKED DEMAND ANALYSIS OF OLIGOPOLY: THEORY AND EVIDENCE (Ediburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • P. M. Sweezy, “Demand Under Conditions of Oligopoly,” J. Polit. Econ., Aug. 1939, 47, 568–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • V. E. Smith, “Note on the Kinky Oligopoly Demand Curve,” Southern Econ. J., Oct. 1948, 15, 205–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. J. Stigler, “The Kinky Oligopoly Demand Curve and Rigid Prices,” J. Polit. Econ., June 1947, 55, 432–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Whitten, D.O. A flat-kinded demand function for oligopolistic sellers of homogeneous products. Rev Ind Organ 1, 206–215 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02457064

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02457064

Keywords

Navigation