ECON 406 - Industrial Organization Capstone

Industrial organization (IO) studies how firms behave in markets. The field has theoretical foundations in comparative analysis and game theory. Most work in the field models strategic decision-making among firms to understand how their interactions affect profits, consumer welfare, and economic efficiency. This class is divided into three sections. The first covers the basic theory underlying modern empirical industrial organization, focusing on classical static IO models. The second section briefly reviews the history of empirical IO and covers workhorse empirical methods for analyzing market outcomes. The last will examine recent papers that synthesize the material covered in class, including trends in competition policy and market concentration in the tech industry. This course counts as a Group E elective. It is a capstone course. It meets concurrently with ECON 405. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and ECON 381, or permission of instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites. Every year. (4 Credits)