ECON 405 - Industrial Organization

This course will extend beyond the conventional structure-conduct-performance framework of industrial organization to focus on the theoretical models that inform the discipline and their empirical applications. In particular, students will use microeconomics and game theory to study models of imperfect competition and understand the implications for consumer welfare. We will analyze firm behavior and strategic interactions such as price discrimination, predatory pricing, limit pricing and investment under different market structures. We will also discuss various public policies that affect the structure of markets and the behavior of firms, specifically regulation, deregulation and antitrust laws. This course counts as a Group E elective. It is a capstone course. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and ECON 381, or permission of instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites. Every year. (4 Credits)