Research
The Stackelberg leadership model is a model of a duopoly. In a standard Stackelberg duopoly situation there are two firms in a market. The number of firms is restricted to two by assuming barriers to entry. Each firm is taking into account its competitors decision on the quantity produced. Unlike in the Cournot game firms act sequentially, with the leader choosing a quantity first. The follower observes the decision of the leader and chooses his quantity.
There are some further constraints upon the sustaining of a Stackelberg equilibrium. The leader must know ex ante that the follower observes his action. The follower must have no means of committing to a future non-Stackelberg follower action and the leader must know this. Indeed, if the 'follower' could commit to a Stackelberg leader action and the 'leader' knew this, the leader's best response would be to play a Stackelberg follower action.
More generally, in a Stackelberg game one player moves before the other player, which can provide either a first-mover advantage or a first-mover disadvantage, depending on the specific assumptions that are made in the game. Other well-known games are the Bertrand game and the Cournot game. The Nash equilibrium plays an important role in solving the Stackelberg game and other games.
See also Stackelberg competition.
Read more about this topic: Heinrich Freiherr Von Stackelberg
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