
handle: 10419/308368 , 11572/460743
In this paper, we explore how heterogeneous firms decide on vertical and horizontal qualities of their products. We show that if increasing the product qualities appears to be relatively costly, more productive firms choose higher vertical quality but lower horizontal quality. We also document distortions that arise in our framework. Specifically, we find that in the market equilibrium, firms tend to underinvest in horizontal quality but overinvest in vertical quality compared to the first best allocation. Using data from pizzerias in Oslo, Norway, we provide a calibration exercise to estimate welfare losses due to the quality distortions.
L13, welfare, Substitutable quality, vertical quality, ddc:330, Distortions, horizontal quality, Welfare, Complementary quality, monopolistic competition, Monopolistic competition, Complementary quality; Distortions; Monopolistic competition; Substitutable quality; Welfare, D43
L13, welfare, Substitutable quality, vertical quality, ddc:330, Distortions, horizontal quality, Welfare, Complementary quality, monopolistic competition, Monopolistic competition, Complementary quality; Distortions; Monopolistic competition; Substitutable quality; Welfare, D43
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