Economic Consulting and Competition Policy

Economic Consulting and Competition Policy --- This course will introduce some of the major topics in industrial organization and competition policy including horizontal mergers, vertical mergers and vertical contracting with a focus on the efficiencies gained by the firms as well as the potential competitive effects considered by the antitrust agencies. Specific antitrust cases are discussed as examples. Teams of students will develop major projects analyzing a specific merger or contract and present arguments for and against a case that has gone to trial recently or is in the process of being tried. A key learning objective would be to understand how to collate information from different sources of economic and financial data, and how to use economic models and empirical analysis to develop a business case for particular business decisions.