84556 - Industrial Organization

Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to provide students with a general and base knowledge of modern industrial organization based on strategic interaction among firms and consumers. Students will learn the functioning of the markets by analyzing the behavior of non-competitive firms, also with the tools of modern game theory. Industrial policies and regulation will be discussed together with the principles of competition policy.

Course contents

Part 1: Presentation of the course and microeconomics background.

Part 2: Game theory and oligopoly.

Part 3: Market structure

Part 4: Non-price strategies

Part 5: Competition policy and regulation

Readings/Bibliography

L. Pepall, D. Richards, G. Norman, Industrial Organization, 4th or 5th ed., Blackwell, 2008.

Except: 4.5 (means section 5 of chapter 4); 7.5.2; 7.6; ch. 8; 10.3; 10.5; 11.1; 11.2; 12.2.2; 13.2; 13.3.1; 13.5; 14.3; 14.4; 15.3; 15.5; 15.6; 16.3; 16.4; 16.6; Appendices to ch. 16; 17.3; 17.6; 18.4; 18.5; 19.6; 21.2; 21.3; 21.6; 22.5; 22.6; 23.3; 23.7; ch. 24; 25.3; 25.4.

Teaching methods

Standard front teaching and online. Students with disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) are required to make their condition known to find the best possibile accomodation to their needs.

Assessment methods

There are no partial exams.

The exam is written in presence. It will usually last 60 minutes and it will be made of exercises (worth about 2/3 of the grade) and questions (about 1/3 of the grade).

The grade is scaled as follows:

<18 failed
18-23 sufficient
24-27 good
28-30 very good
30 e lode excellent

Students can reject the grade obtained at the exam once. To this end, he/she must email a request to the instructor within the date set for registration. The instructor will confirm reception of the request by email within the same date.

Teaching tools

Textbook, slides and exercises.

Office hours

See the website of Flavio Delbono