Competitive strategies in oligopolies: The impact of asymmetric information and strategic behavior

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54167/ejbei.v2i2.1815

Keywords:

Asymmetric Information, Behavioral Economics, Game Theory, Tacit Collusion, Market Power, Pricing, Algorithmic Competition, Econometric Models

Abstract

This study analyzes the strategic effects of asymmetric access to information in oligopolistic markets, combining classical and behavioral game theory within a unified econometric framework. Using linear regression, Logit and Probit models, the research evaluates how unequal data availability impacts pricing strategies and market dominance, focusing on sectors such as telecommunications and energy. The findings demonstrate that informational asymmetry reinforces structural advantages, enabling predictive behavior and tacit coordination, often resulting in higher prices and reduced competition. Furthermore, the study incorporates cognitive biases—particularly loss aversion—showing that firms deviate from rational expectations under uncertainty. The article concludes with public policy proposals aimed at reducing informational asymmetries through regulatory transparency and algorithmic accountability.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Akerlof, G. A. (1970). The market for “lemons”: Quality uncertainty and the market mechanism. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 84(3), 488–500. https://doi.org/10.2307/1879431

Akerlof, G. A., & Kranton, R. E. (2000). Economics and identity. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 115(3), 715–753. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300554881

Akerlof, G. A., & Shiller, R. J. (2010). Animal spirits: How human psychology drives the economy, and why it matters for global capitalism. Princeton University Press.

Ball, L., Mankiw, N. G., Romer, D., Akerlof, G. A., Rose, A., Yellen, J., & Sims, C. A. (1988). The new Keynesian economics and the output-inflation trade-off. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1988(1), 1–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/2534424

Bisin, A., & Gottardi, P. (2006). Efficient competitive equilibria with adverse selection. Journal of Political Economy, 114(3), 485–516. https://doi.org/10.1086/503754

Brynjolfsson, E., Rock, D., & Syverson, C. (2021). The Productivity J-Curve: How Intangibles Complement General Purpose Technologies. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics 13(1), 333–72. https://doi.org/10.1257/mac.20180386

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.

Calvano, E., Calzolari, G., Denicolò, V., & Pastorello, S. (2020). Artificial intelligence, algorithmic pricing, and collusion. American Economic Review, 110(10), 3267–3297. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20190623

Camerer, C. F. (2003). Behavioral game theory: Experiments in strategic interaction. Princeton University Press.

Chiu, W. H., & Karni, E. (1998). Endogenous adverse selection and unemployment insurance. Journal of Political Economy, 106(4), 806–827. https://doi.org/10.1086/250030

Einav, L., Finkelstein, A., & Cullen, M. R. (2010). Estimating welfare in insurance markets using variation in prices. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(3), 877–921. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2010.125.3.877

Finkelstein, A., & Poterba, J. M. (2004). Adverse selection in insurance markets: Policyholder evidence from the U.K. annuity market. Journal of Political Economy, 112(1), 183–208. https://doi.org/10.1086/379936

Gilligan, T. W. (2004). Lemons and leases in the used business aircraft market. Journal of Political Economy, 112(5), 1157–1186. https://doi.org/10.1086/422561

Goldfarb, A., & Tucker, C. (2019). Digital economics. Journal of Economic Literature, 57(1), 3–43. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20171452

Hayek, F. A. (1945). The use of knowledge in society. The American Economic Review, 35(4), 519–530. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1809376

Huerta de Soto, J. (2022). Socialismo, cálculo económico y función empresarial (9a. ed.). Unión Editorial.

Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–291. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914185

Overby, E. M., & Jap, S. D. (2009). Electronic and physical market channels: A multiyear investigation in a market for products of uncertain quality. Management Science, 55(6), 940–957. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1090.0998

Sánchez-Bayón, A. (2023). From Neoclassical synthesis to Heterodox synthesis in the digital economy. Procesos de Mercado: Revista Europea de Economía Política, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.52195/pm.v19i2.818

Rothschild, M., & Stiglitz, J. E. (1976). Equilibrium in competitive insurance markets: An essay on the economics of imperfect information. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 90(4), 629–649. https://doi.org/10.2307/1885326

Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010

Stigler, G. J. (1961). The economics of information. Journal of Political Economy, 69(3), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1086/258464

Tirole, J. (1988). The theory of industrial organization. MIT Press.

Zame, W. R. (2007). Incentives, contracts, and markets: A general equilibrium theory of firms. Econometrica, 75(5), 1453–1500. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2007.00799.x

Published

07/01/2025

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Competitive strategies in oligopolies: The impact of asymmetric information and strategic behavior. (2025). Economicus Journal of Business and Economics Insights, 2(2), 47-65. https://doi.org/10.54167/ejbei.v2i2.1815

Most read articles by the same author(s)