Discussion paper

DP1855 Innovation and Growth with Rich and Poor Consumers

This paper studies the impact of income inequality on the level of innovative activity in a model where innovations result in quality improvements. The market for quality goods is characterized by a natural oligopoly with two types of consumers ? rich and poor. In general, we find that for reasons of strategic price setting a more equal distribution is favourable for innovation incentives. This is consistent with empirical evidence, suggesting that countries with a more equal distribution have grown faster.

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Citation

Zweimüller, J and (1998), ‘DP1855 Innovation and Growth with Rich and Poor Consumers‘, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 1855. CEPR Press, Paris & London. https://cepr.org/publications/dp1855