We study the optimal incentive scheme for a multistage project in which the agent privately observes intermediate progress. The optimal contract involves a "soft deadline" wherein the principal guarantees funding up to a certain date -- if the agent reports progress at that date, then the...

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers stockpiled common household items in expectation of shortages and rising prices. In this paper, we explore the interaction of consumer stockpiling with monopoly pricing in the face of a supply disruption. If consumers can store the good, they...