75902 - Industrial economics

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student will have learned the most important concepts of industrial economics and its application to both real cases and policy issues.

Course contents

The aim of this course is to provide students the ability to gain insight into the firm's strategic behaviour, and how this interacts with public policy issues such as anti-trust, regulation, technology and environment. In particular, the course will focus on the complexity of industrial policies, focusing on aspects that are of particular importance for business. The course content is as follows:

-           Monopoly Power,

-           Game Theory, Oligopoly, and Strategic Interaction

-           Anticompetitive strategies

-           Contractual Relations between firms

-           Competition policy

-           Innovation and Technology policy

 

Regular attendance and active class participation are essential for a successful performance in this course.

 

 

Course Outline

I. Monopoly Power

·         Price discrimination and monopoly: linear prices.

·         Price discrimination and monopoly: non linear prices.

·         Product Complementarity and the Cournot Effect.

·         Product variety and quality.

 

II. Game Theory, Oligopoly, and Strategic Interaction

·         Static Games and Cournot competition.

·         Price competition.

·         Dynamic games: first and second move.

 

III. Anticompetitive strategies

·         Limit price and entry deterrence.

·         Predatory behaviour: recent developments.

·         Repeated games and cartel formation.

 

IV. Contractual relations between firms

·         Horizontal and vertical mergers.

·         Vertical price restraints.

.          Global Challenges for the online platform sector.

 

V. Innovative activity and network externality

·         Advertising, market power, information.

·        R&D (Research and Development) and patents.

Readings/Bibliography

Volume Create“Economia Industriale e Politiche per la Concorrenza”, McGraw-Hill (new version, 2019)

The textbook is available in the following bookstores:

Libreria Bookstop, Via Marsala 27/B

LEUP Libreria Patron, Piazza Verdi 4

Libreria Tinarelli, Via Belmeloro 1/b

Teaching methods

Regular attendance and active class participation are essential for a successful performance in this course.

Assessment methods

Procedure for Comprehensive Exam

The exam will be only in written format. More information will be given in light of the sanitary conditions.  

It is highly recommended that participants attend all lessons in order to successfully prepare for the exam which will be based on materials, exercises and discussions carried out in class.

 

 

Additional exam rules

 

- Students are required to register for the exam by using the online application procedure.

- Passing marks (i.e. 18 and above) are automatically registered by the instructor, unless the student wishes to retake the exam.

- The possibility to retake an exam will be granted only once. Those students who decide to retake an exam must communicate their decision, via official unibo email, by the date provided during examination.

- Students can refuse a positive mark but only once. Each mark higher than 18/30 will automatically be registered by the instructor, after the student’s second attempt.

- Finally, students who wish to view their exam will be able to do so only during one specific office hour set by the instructor.

Teaching tools

• 20 lessons (60 hours).
• The Teaching Assistant Francesco Clavorà Braulin (francesco.clavora2@unibo.it) will be available to meet with students before the exams. Additional information will be provided during classes.
  

Office hours

See the website of Emilio Calvano