ECON 4906: Industrial Organization and Competitive Strategy
Fall 2016
Department of Economics, Cornell University
Professor: Panle Jia Barwick
Lectures: Mon, Weds 2:55 -4:10 p.m. Classroom: Rockefeller Hall 127
Office: 462 Uris Hall
Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 4:15-5pm Uris 462
E-mail:
Course Webpages:
Prerequisites: Intermediate Micro (and, by extension, Calculus).
Course Description:
Industrial organization economists study firm behavior in imperfectly competitive markets, which are far more common than the perfectly competitive markets that were the focus of your introductory microeconomics course. ECON 4906 analyzes the acquisition and use of market power by firms, strategic interactions among firms, and the role of government competition policy. We will approach this subject from both theoretical and applied perspectives. Students must have completed Intermediate Micro before enrolling in ECON 4906.
Texts:
Introduction to Industrial Organization by Louis Cabral (main)
Theory of Industrial Organization by Jean Tirole (supplementary)
Coursepack via HBS, download from link TBA
Grading:
15% Prelim 1 (October 3, Mon, in class)
15% Prelim 2 (November 9, Wed, in class)
30% Final Exam (TBA)
20% Research Proposal (November 17)
20% Class Participation
Exam Policy:
The second prelim is not cumulative; however, the final exam is. On exam days you will need a writing instrument and nothing more. Please note that there will be no make-up exams. If for any reason you expect to miss a prelim, please contact me well in advance and we will discuss solutions. For reasonable and documented cases, I will re-weight the final exam.
Regrades: If for any reason you believe you deserve a regrade on a prelim or the final, please return it to me within one week of receiving your grade with a typed explanation of the discrepancy. The entire exam will be regraded.
Problem Sets: Problem sets are written to be challenging. I encourage everyone to seek help from peers. They are not graded, but are designed to help you master the course material.
Questions:
If you have questions of general interest about the course material or the lectures, please post them on Piazza or visit office hours. We will monitor the Piazza website closely. Please limit emails to administrative problemsor other unforeseen problems only.
Academic Integrity:
This course strictly follows Cornell's Code Of Academic Integrity. Violations will be taken seriously. Cornell's administration asks all faculty to direct students to the university's code. Please use this link to familiarize yourself with it: and
Copyright Notice:
All course instructional materials posted on our class Web site are intellectual property belonging to the author(s). As are the lectures. Students are not permitted to buy or sell or re-post any course materials without the express permission of the instructor. Such unauthorized behavior constitutes academic misconduct. Students are not permitted to post audio or video recordings of lectures or to buy or sell them. Such unauthorized behavior constitutes academic misconduct.
Topics: (subject to change)
- Micro Review
- Game Theory
- Monopoly and Oligopoly
- Pricing
- Entry, Exit, and Predation
- Product Choice
- Firms and Vertical Relations
- Competition Policy