R&D Competition versus R&D cooperation in oligopolistic markets with evolving structure
Dawid,H. Kopel,M. Kort,P.M.
Dawid,H.
Kopel,M.
Kort,P.M.
Abstract
This paper considers investment behavior of duopolistic firms subject to technological progress. It is assumed that initially both firms offer a homogeneous product, but after a stochastic waiting time they are able to implement a product innovation. Production capacities of both firms are product specific. It is shown that firms anticipate a future product innovation by under-investing (if the new product is a substitute to the established product) and higher profits, and over-investing (in case of complements) and lower profits, compared to the corresponding standard capital accumulation game. This anticipation effect is stronger in the case of R&D cooperation. Furthermore, since due to R&D cooperation firms introduce the new product at the same time, this leads to intensified competition and lower firm profits right after the new product has been introduced. In addition, we show that under R&D competition the firm that innovates first, overshoots in new-product capacity buildup in order to exploit its temporary monopoly position. Taking into account all these effects, the result is that, if the new product is neither a close substitute nor a strong complement of the established product, positive synergy effects in R&D cooperation are necessary to make it more profitable for firms than R&D competition.
Description
Date
2013-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Keywords
R&D, competition, cooperation, product innovation, capital accumulation, differential game, C73 - Stochastic and Dynamic Games ; Evolutionary Games ; Repeated Games, L13 - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets, O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Citation
Dawid, H, Kopel, M & Kort, P M 2013, 'R &D Competition versus R &D cooperation in oligopolistic markets with evolving structure', International Journal of Industrial Organization, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 527-537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2013.09.003
License
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess