This paper shows the impact of increasing union bargaining power on unions as a result of firms making two types of investments in labor-saving and intermediate goods investments in monopolistic markets. Usually, an increase in the bargaining power of a union has a positive effect on the utility of the union. It also has a negative effect on labor savings investment, but this paper examines how these results change.

Although it is recognized that the promotion of hybrid vehicles (HEVs) is important for the reduction of greenhouse gas emission, it is still unclear how HEVs have been penetrated among households. This study analyzes the diffusion process of HEVs among Japanese households and identify household characteristics that affect vehicle selection. In addition, we evaluate the effectiveness of the Eco-car program and discuss measures to further promote eco-friendly vehicles.

This paper investigates the effects of bundling on the market competition empirically, focusing on British energy retail market which goes in advance of retail liberalization. In recent years, while a bundled tariff through which electricity and gas are sold together by the same supplier is very popular, bundle discounts have become less common. It is possibly interpreted that bundling strategies impede switching of locked-in users in some cases, and promote the competition while the bundling discount is small because of the shopping cost in other cases.