Competition Analysis and Regulation

The objective of this course is to twofold. First, the course aims at understanding how market structure shapes a firm’s competitive behavior and its impact on prices and consumer welfare. A second objective is to identify the relevant policy tools for each type of market structure. The center of attention will be firms’ strategic behavior, and the emphasis will be on how the competition, economic environment, and structure of demand shape firms’ decisions. Ultimately, the goal is to address the question of firm and market regulation, showing that different situations call for different policies. The course will consist of a mix of theoretical and practical applications using case studies. Students will learn how to use basic game theory to analyze competition and see the similarities or disparities between different types of markets. The course will also offer the opportunity to put microeconomics “in practice” by studying how consumer behavior and firms’ decisions can shape economic outcomes. Emphasis will be placed on how economic theory can help to analyze and lead to a deeper understanding of market competition. The course will also devote a great amount of time to study and discussion of various regulatory policies by considering both theoretical approaches to market regulation and case studies