Abstract
This paper examines the problem of estimation bias when the effect of local competition on prices is investigated. The hotel industry was chosen as a representative case of industries that offer a spatially differentiated product. It is shown that, in this context, including spatial variables as controls can be especially useful for reducing bias in the cross-sectional estimator. We also show how our results are robust to alternative size definitions for geographically relevant markets.
References
Barron, J.M., Taylor, B.A., Umbeck, J.R.: Number of sellers, average prices and price dispersion. Int. J. Ind. Organ. 22, 1041–1066 (2004)
Bull, A.O.: Pricing a motel’s location. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 6, 10–15 (1994)
Chen, Y., Riordan, M.H.: Price-increasing competition. Rand J. Econ. 39, 1042–1058 (2008)
García-Ballesteros, A., Sanz-Berzal, B. (eds.): Atlas de la Comunidad de Madrid en el Umbral del Siglo XXI. Comunidad de Madrid y Universidad Complutense (2002)
Janssen, M.C.W., Moraga-González, J.L.: Strategic pricing, consumer search and the number of firms. Rev. Econ. Stud. 71, 1089–1118 (2004)
Kelejian, H.H., Prucha, I.R.: HAC estimation in a spatial framework. Econom. J. 140, 131–154 (2007)
Kotas, R.: Management accounting for hotels and restaurants. Surrey University Press, London (1986)
Lambert, D.M., Florax, R.J., Cho, S.-H.: Bandwidth selection for spatial HAC and other robust covariance estimators. Working paper 08-10, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University (2008)
Lewis, M.: Retail gasoline price dynamics and local market power. ICFAI J. Ind. Econ. 56, 654–678 (2008)
Mazzeo, M.: Competitive outcomes in product-differentiated oligopoly. Rev. Econ. Stat. 84, 719–728 (2002a)
Mazzeo, M.: Product choice and oligopoly market structure. Rand J. Econ. 33, 221–242 (2002b)
Melzer, B.T., Morgan, D.P.: Price-increasing competition: The curious case of overdraft versus deferred deposit credit. Staff report 391, Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2009)
Rosenthal, R.: A model in which an increase in the number of sellers leads to a higher price. Econometrica 48, 1575–1580 (1980)
Thomadsen, R.: Product positioning and competition: The role of location in the fast food industry. Mark. Sci. 26, 792–804 (2007)
Ward, M.B., Shimshack, J.P., Perloff, J.M., Harris, M.J.: Effects of the private-label invasion in food industries. Am. J. Agric. Econ. 84, 962–973 (2002)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Balaguer, J., Pernías, J.C. Measuring the effect of local competition on prices in a context of spatial differentiation. Lett Spat Resour Sci 4, 109–116 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12076-011-0055-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12076-011-0055-y