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The Ethics of Price Discrimination

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  • Elegido, Juan M.
Abstract
Price discrimination is the practice of charging different customers different prices for the same product. Many people consider price discrimination unfair, but economists argue that in many cases price discrimination is more likely to lead to greater welfare than is the uniform pricing alternative—sometimes for every party in the transaction. This article shows i) that there are many situations in which it is necessary to engage in differential pricing in order to make the provision of a product possible; and ii) that in many such situations, the seller does not obtain an above-average rate of return. It concludes that price discrimination is not inherently unfair. The article also contends that even when conditions i) and/or ii) do not obtain, price discrimination is not necessarily unethical. In itself, the fact that some people get an even better deal than do others does not entail that the latter are wronged.

Suggested Citation

  • Elegido, Juan M., 2011. "The Ethics of Price Discrimination," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(4), pages 633-660, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:21:y:2011:i:04:p:633-660_01
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. James J. Angel & Douglas M. McCabe, 2018. "Insider Trading 2.0? The Ethics of Information Sales," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(4), pages 747-760, February.
    2. Paul Simshauser, 2021. "Lessons from Australia's National Electricity Market 1998-2018: strengths and weaknesses of the reform experience," Chapters, in: Jean-Michel Glachant & Paul L. Joskow & Michael G. Pollitt (ed.), Handbook on Electricity Markets, chapter 9, pages 242-286, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Krishnan C, Muralee & Gupta, Santanu, 2018. "Political pricing of electricity – Can it go with universal service provision?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 373-381.
    4. Peter Seele & Claus Dierksmeier & Reto Hofstetter & Mario D. Schultz, 2021. "Mapping the Ethicality of Algorithmic Pricing: A Review of Dynamic and Personalized Pricing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(4), pages 697-719, May.
    5. Thomas A. Klein, 2015. "Distributive justice: theory and applications in global markets," Chapters, in: Handbook on Ethics and Marketing, chapter 9, pages 168-187, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Simshauser, Paul, 2018. "Price discrimination and the modes of failure in deregulated retail electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 54-70.
    7. Simshauser, Paul & Whish-Wilson, Patrick, 2017. "Price discrimination in Australia's retail electricity markets: An analysis of Victoria & Southeast Queensland," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 92-103.
    8. Jackson, William A., 2024. "The Ethics of Price Variation," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 53(2), pages 201-215.
    9. Juan Elegido, 2015. "The Just Price as the Price Obtainable in an Open Market," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 557-572, September.
    10. Jerod Coker & Jean-Manuel Izaret, 2021. "Progressive Pricing: The Ethical Case for Price Personalization," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(2), pages 387-398, October.
    11. O. C. Ferrell & Dimitri Kapelianis & Linda Ferrell & Lynzie Rowland, 2018. "Expectations and Attitudes Toward Gender-Based Price Discrimination," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1015-1032, November.
    12. Nunan, Daniel & Di Domenico, MariaLaura, 2022. "Value creation in an algorithmic world: Towards an ethics of dynamic pricing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 451-460.

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