A computational model of a retail chain is developed in which store managers continually search for better practices. Search takes place over a rugged landscape defined over the space of store practices. The main objective of this research is to determine how the amount of discretion given to...

The dynamic choice between individual and social learning is explored for a population of autonomous agents whose objective is to find solutions to a stream of related problems. The probability that an agent is in the individual learning mode, as opposed to the social learning mode, evolves over...

One of the primary challenges to measuring the impact of antitrust or competition policy on collusion is that the cartel population is unobservable; we observe only the population of discovered cartels. To address this challenge, a model of cartel creation and dissolution is developed to...

A computational model of competing multi-unit firms, such as a retail chain, is developed in which unit managers and corporate staff continually search for better practices while consumers search among units to find a better match. The main objective of this research is to determine how the...

It is generally believed that industries with greater product differentiation have higher rates of return. This paper shows that this effect breaks down in the presence of firm-specific cost shocks. Greater substitutability in products generates two opposing effects: (1) it allows a larger...

Two distinct learning mechanisms are considered for a population of agents who engage in decentralized search for the common optimum. An agent may choose to learn via innovation (individual learning) or via imitation (social learning). The agents are endowed with heterogeneous skills in engaging...

Empirical studies have found high correlation between entry and exit across industries, indicating that industries differ substantially in their degree of firm turnover. I propose a computational model of dynamic oligopoly with entry and exit in a turbulent technological environment. I examine...

This paper discusses the need for, the mechanics of, and some potential application of agent-based modeling and computational analysis in industrial organization.