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Trade associations and collusion among many agents: evidence from physicians
Author(s) -
AléChilet Jorge,
Atal Juan Pablo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the rand journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.687
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1756-2171
pISSN - 0741-6261
DOI - 10.1111/1756-2171.12354
Subject(s) - collusion , negotiation , trade association , association (psychology) , economics , cartel , microeconomics , nash equilibrium , business , international economics , philosophy , epistemology , political science , law
We study a recent case where most gynecologists in one city formed a trade association to bargain for better rates with insurance companies. After unsuccessful negotiations, the physicians jointly terminated their insurer contracts and set a minimum price. We find that subsequent realized prices coincided with Nash‐Bertrand prices, and that the minimum price was barely binding. We show that these actions ensured the association's stability and increased profits. Our findings shed light on the role of trade association in collusion among a large number of heterogeneous agents, and provide insights for the antitrust analysis of trade associations.