Industrial Organization

Economics 395

Industrial Organization

 

Course Description

This course presents tools required for examining issues in Industrial Organization. Examples of relevant issues are determining which market structures are desirable, how economists analyze mergers and antitrust policy, and the role of price discrimination, advertising, and research and development.

Prior exposure to microeconomics is essential to the understanding of this material. Also, a background in calculus and optimization techniques will prove quite useful.

Grading

Grading will be based on two exams, participation and homework, and a written assignment. Homework will generally not be collected, but a few times during the semester, I will collect the assignments, and always give notice of this ahead of time. The written assignment will consist of a very short paper (2-3 pages) which will be discussed later. The determination of the grade is:

Midterm Exam 30 %
Paper 15 %
Participation & Homework 15 %
Final (cumulative) 40 %

Only students with absences approved under university guidelines by the office of Student Life will be permitted to take a make-up. It is the student's responsibility to notify the professor of the planned or actual absence and to have the absence approved.

Readings

The text for the class is

Carlton and Perloff, Modern Industrial Organization, 2nd edition, Harper-Collins, 1994.

My lectures will not follow the texts exactly, and often lectures will assume familiarity with some of the material. Therefore, readings should be done prior to the class in which the material will be covered.