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  3. American Economic Review
  4. April 2012
  5. The Use of Full-Line Forcing Contracts in the Video Rental Industry

The Use of Full-Line Forcing Contracts in the Video Rental Industry

  • Katherine Ho
  • Justin Ho
  • Julie Holland Mortimer
American Economic Review
vol. 102, no. 2, April 2012
(pp. 686-719)
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Abstract

Bundling is at the forefront of many policy debates as new technologies allow firms to implement more complex bundling arrangements. Realistic analyses of bundling—particularly between suppliers and retailers—require detailed data on both supply arrangements and consumer demand. We analyze firms' use of bundling as a vertical restraint (known as full-line forcing) using extensive supply and demand data from the video rental industry. Our model captures key details of the market that determine firms' contractual choices, and sheds light on the implications of these decisions. The empirical approach provides a model for how to analyze bundling when detailed data are available. (JEL D86, L14, L81, L82)

Citation

Ho, Katherine, Justin Ho, and Julie Holland Mortimer. 2012. "The Use of Full-Line Forcing Contracts in the Video Rental Industry." American Economic Review, 102 (2): 686-719. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.2.686

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D86 Economics of Contract: Theory
  • L14 Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation; Networks
  • L81 Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
  • L82 Entertainment; Media