A feature of electronic communication markets is that a consumer's decision to join or use a communications network can generate two effects on other users of the network: a network externality and a call externality. The former effect is defined as the benefit that users receive when a new...

We model competition between two firms selling identical goods to customers who arrive in the market stochastically. Shoppers choose where to purchase based upon both price and the time cost associated with waiting for service. One seller provides two separate queues, each with its own server,...

Franchising in Cuba, as in other frontier markets, is fraught with challenges. Before beginning, prudent franchisors should engage experienced attorneys on both sides of the equation, at home and in Cuba. One can expect to encounter many of the same issues frequently found in any international...

The off-net/on-net price differential in mobile voice observed in many countries is much larger than what can be explained away by standard economic theory. This situation has generated important anticompetitive concerns, leading some authorities to contemplate (and even impose) a ban on such...

[Note: the substantially revised published version of this article is available at www.ssrn.com/absract=489762] This article questions whether copyright law's prohibition against unauthorized copying and sales is either necessary or beneficial to the production and dissemination of creative...

The advent of information technology facilitates geographic separation of production tasks, which is referred to as offshoring in international contexts and inshoring in domestic contexts. Although the literature on offshoring has flourished, the research on inshoring is limited. This paper...

This keynote address, delivered at Pace Law School on March 16, 2016, provides an overview of the legal status of “daily fantasy sports” and explains why the legality — or illegality — of the industry is not a sure bet. It begins by providing a brief background of the origins of fantasy...

We document that, after remaining almost constant for almost 30 years, real labor productivity at U.S. restaurants surged over 15% during the COVID pandemic. This surge has persisted even as many conditions have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Using mobile phone data tracking visits and...

This paper investigates the impact of services sector liberalization on product innovation of downstream manufacturing firms. Leveraging firm-product panel data from India and employing a shift-share research design, I find that services liberalization significantly increases firms’ product...

Auch wenn sich Baugenehmigungsverfahren von Fall zu Fall stark unterscheiden können, wird deren Länge und Komplexität von den Unternehmen vielfach als Belastung und Investitionshemmnis wahrgenommen. Neben den rechtlichen Grundlagen erweisen sich die Vorgehensweise der kommunalen Baubehörden...