We investigate the impact of vertical mergers on upstream firms' ability to sustain tacit collusion in a repeated game. We identify several effects and show that the net effect of vertical integration is to facilitate collusion. Most importantly, vertical mergers facilitate collusion through the...

Building on a model of the interaction of risk-averse firms that compete in forward and spot markets, we develop an empirical strategy to test whether oligopolistic firms use forward contracts for strategic motives, for risk-hedging, or for both. An increase in the number of players weakens the...

We consider product markets in which consumers are interested only in a specific product category and initially do not know which product category matches their tastes. Using sophisticated tracking technologies, an intermediary can make inferences about a consumer's preferred product category...

Building on a model of the interaction of risk-averse firms that compete in forward and spot markets, we develop an empirical strategy to test whether oligopolistic firms use forward contracts for strategic motives, for risk-hedging, or for both. An increase in the number of players weakens the...

This paper examines the influence of information on market performance in an advance purchase setting. Information reduces the risk that an advance purchase results in a mismatch between consumer preferences and product characteristics. However, information may also raise the number of advance...

Recent experience from Europe and Japan shows that commercial banks generally pass negative short-term policy rates on to wholesale depositors, such as insurances and pension funds. Yet, they refrain from charging negative rates to ordinary retail customers. This paper asks whether the existing...

This paper studies two-part tariffs with explicit consideration of cost uncertainty and risk aversion. It finds that firms charge a risk premium over expected marginal cost for each unit they sell. This pricing rule is socially optimal if and only if the modeled market is fully covered in...

This survey aims to provide an overview of recent developments in the industrial organization literature that explores the behavior of profit-maximizing firms facing consumers with reference-dependent preferences and loss aversion. We discuss the implications of loss aversion on the practice of...

Recent experience from Europe and Japan shows that commercial banks generally pass negative short-term policy rates on to wholesale depositors, such as insurances and pension funds. Yet, they refrain from charging negative rates to ordinary retail customers. This paper asks whether the existing...

In this paper we consider how the degree of risk aversion, and demand/cost uncertainty, influence competition on oligopolistic markets. Under demand uncertainty, the best response strategies (both quantities and prices) are decreasing in risk aversion, but for cost uncertainty, quantities are...