Vertical Oligopolies Drive Efficient Allocation and Boost Welfare in Markets
Vertical oligopolies with firms of different quality levels compete and select customers based on their private information. In this setup, higher-quality firms serve higher-quality customers. Firms distort customer allocation below a certain threshold but improve it above. Even with some differences between firms, there are equilibrium strategies that satisfy certain conditions. Private information has a big impact on welfare compared to a monopoly situation. As entry costs decrease, the equilibrium approaches a competitive scenario. Mergers can change the game for multi-plant firms with outside options.