Dynamic Limit and Predatory Pricing Under Uncertainty

불확실성하(不確實性下)의 동태적(動態的) 진입제한(進入制限) 및 약탈가격(掠奪價格) 책정(策定)

In this paper, a simple game-theoretic entry deterrence model is developed that integrates both limit pricing and predatory pricing. While there have been extensive studies which have dealt with predation and limit pricing separately, no study so far has analyzed these closely related practices in a unified framework. Treating each practice as if it were an independent phenomenon is, of course, an analytical necessity to abstract from complex realities. However, welfare analysis based on such a model may give misleading policy implications. By analyzing limit and predatory pricing within a single framework, this paper attempts to shed some light on the effects of interactions between these two frequently cited tactics of entry deterrence. Another distinctive feature of the paper is that limit and predatory pricing emerge, in equilibrium, as rational, profit maximizing strategies in the model. Until recently, the only conclusion from formal analyses of predatory pricing was that predation is unlikely to take place if every economic agent is assumed to be rational. This conclusion rests upon the argument that predation is costly; that is, it inflicts more losses upon the predator than upon the rival producer, and, therefore, is unlikely to succeed in driving out the rival, who understands that the price cutting, if it ever takes place, must be temporary. Recently several attempts have been made to overcome this modelling difficulty by Kreps and Wilson, Milgram and Roberts, Benoit, Fudenberg and Tirole, and Roberts. With the exception of Roberts, however, these studies, though successful in preserving the rationality of players, still share one serious weakness in that they resort to ad hoc, external constraints in order to generate profit maximizing predation. The present paper uses a highly stylized model of Cournot duopoly and derives the equilibrium predatory strategy without invoking external constraints except the assumption of asymmetrically distributed information. The underlying intuition behind the model can be summarized as follows. Imagine a firm that is considering entry into a monopolist's market but is uncertain about the incumbent firm's cost structure. If the monopolist has low cost, the rival would rather not enter because it would be difficult to compete with an efficient, low-cost firm. If the monopolist has high costs, however, the rival will definitely enter the market because it can make positive profits. In this situation, if the incumbent firm unwittingly produces its monopoly output, the entrant can infer the nature of the monopolist's cost by observing the monopolist's price. Knowing this, the high cost monopolist increases its output level up to what would have been produced by a low cost firm in an effort to conceal its cost condition. This constitutes limit pricing. The same logic applies when there is a rival competitor in the market. Producing a high cost duopoly output is self-revealing and thus to be avoided. Therefore, the firm chooses to produce the low cost duopoly output, consequently inflicting losses to the entrant or rival producer, thus acting in a predatory manner. The policy implications of the analysis are rather mixed. Contrary to the widely accepted hypothesis that predation is, at best, a negative sum game, and thus, a strategy that is unlikely to be played from the outset, this paper concludes that predation can be real occurence by showing that it can arise as an effective profit maximizing strategy. This conclusion alone may imply that the government can play a role in increasing the consumer welfare, say, by banning predation or limit pricing. However, the problem is that it is rather difficult to ascribe any welfare losses to these kinds of entry deterring practices. This difficulty arises from the fact that if the same practices have been adopted by a low cost firm, they could not be called entry-deterring. Moreover, the high cost incumbent in the model is doing exactly what the low cost firm would have done to keep the market to itself. All in all, this paper suggests that a government injunction of limit and predatory pricing should be applied with great care, evaluating each case on its own basis. Hasty generalization may work to the detriment, rather than the enhancement of consumer welfare.

본고에서는 기존 독점생산자(獨占生産者)와 잠재적(潛在的) 신규참입자(新規參入者)간에 존재할 수 있는 진입제한(進入制限) 및 약탈가격(掠奪價格) 책정전략(策定戰略)을 간단한 복점(複占)게임모형(模型)을 통하여 분석한다. 분석(分析)으로부터 유도되는 대표적 결론(結論)은 생산여건(生産與件)에 관한 정보(情報)가 비대칭적(非對稱的)으로 분포되어 있을 경우 그 중 정보면에서 우월한 위치를 점하고 있는 생산자(生産者)가 잠재적(潛在的) 경쟁자(競爭者)를 불확실성하에 잡아 두려는 노력의 일환으로 진입제한가격(進入制限價格)이나 약탈가격(掠奪價格)을 책정할 수 있다는 점이다. 또 하나 본(本) 모형(模型)으로부터 얻을 수 있는 결론(結論)은 어느 독점생산자(獨占生産者)가 그의 독점적 위치를 지속적으로 지켜 나가기 위해 약탈가격(掠奪價格)을 책정하는 것만으로는 부족하다는 점이다. 그가 시장(市場)의 독점(獨占)을 효과적으로 유지해 나가기 위해서는 신규참입(新規參入)이 없는 경우에도 진입제한가격(進入制限價格)을 통하여 시장가격(市場價格)을 지속적으로 낮게 유지해야 한다. 이같은 결론은 진입제한가격(進入制限價格)과 약탈가격(掠奪價格)을 각각 분리해서 분석한 기존의 논의(論議)에는 결여되어 있는 것으로 약탈가격(掠奪價格)으로부터의 장기적 이익을 퇴출(退出) 이후의 독점이윤(獨占利潤)과 동일시하는 많은 분석들이 수정되어야 함을 의미한다. 진입제한(進入制限) 및 약탈가격(掠奪價格) 책정전략(策定戰略)이 합리적 이윤극대화전략(利潤極大化戰略)으로 성립할 수 있다고 하더라도 이것이 곧 이러한 기업행태(企業行態)에 관한 정부의 전면적인 금지조치(禁止措置)를 정당화하는 것은 아니다. 본고에서 일어나는 두가지 전략(戰略)은 오히려 복지증진적(福祉增進的)인 성격을 지니고 있으며 따라서 진입제한(進入制限) 및 약탈가격책정행위(掠奪價格策定行爲)의 규제(規制)는 사안별(事案別)로 신중히 다루어져야 함을 시사하고 있다.