Publications

The effect of assortment size on purchase decisions is an ongoing subject of debate, in light of conflicting findings (Scheibehenne, Greifeneder, & Todd, 2010). The authors show that a key determinant of the effect is the order in which “…

We study a supply chain involving a supplier–retailer relationship. When production lead-time is long and the selling season is short, the retailer has to place an order ahead of the season, which resembles the classical Newsvendor model. However…

We analyze the role of benchmarks in over-the-counter markets subject to search frictions. The publication of a benchmark can, under conditions, raise total social surplus by (i) increasing the volume of beneficial trade, (ii) reducing total…

We study firm’s incentives to build and maintain reputation for quality, when quality is persistent and can be certified at a cost. We characterize all Markov-perfect equilibria where the timing of certification and investment depend only on firm…

Silicon Valley companies are making news these days for their efforts to fix the underrepresentation of women in tech. Many are focused on increasing the pipeline of women studying STEM in high school and college. But pipeline factors are…

We analyze price transparency in a dynamic market with private information and interdependent values. Uninformed buyers compete inter- and intra-temporarily for a good sold by an informed seller suffering a liquidity shock. We contrast public…

We propose a summary statistic for the economic well-being of people in a country. Our measure incorporates consumption, leisure, mortality, and inequality, first for a narrow set of countries using detailed micro data, and then more broadly…

This Research Spotlight provides a summary of the academic literature on the influence that CEOs have on company outcomes (performance and risk). It reviews the evidence of:

• The contribution of the CEO to overall company performance…

This Research Spotlight provides a summary of the academic literature on relation between CEO performance and turnover. It reviews the evidence of:

• The relation between performance and likelihood of termination
• The relation…

We use a data set of sell-side analysts’ scenario-based equity valuation estimates to examine whether analysts can assess the state-contingent risk surrounding a firm’s fundamental value. We find that the spread in analysts’ scenario-based…

The policy of net metering allows operators of residential- and commercial solar PV systems to sell surplus electricity back to their utility at the going retail rate. This policy has recently been criticized on the grounds that it provides a…

Most informal finance comes from family and friends. Existing informal finance theories cannot match two characteristics of family finance: family investors may accept below-market or even negative returns, yet borrowers often prefer formal…

This chapter investigates the widespread claim that the billion dollar valuations of ‘unicorn’ start-ups are unreliable because of the manner in which founders bargain for these valuations with their venture capital (VC) investors. In particular…

Revise and Resubmit at American Economic Review

I characterize the optimal financial regulation policy in an economy where financial intermediaries trade capital assets on behalf of households, but must retain an equity stake for…

Our objective is to show how the current setting of U.S.-dollar money markets limits the passthrough effectiveness of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. We focus on frictions associated with imperfect competition, regulation, infrastructure,…

Peer-to-peer markets such as eBay, Uber, and Airbnb allow small suppliers to compete with traditional providers of goods or services. We view the primary function of these markets as making it easy for buyers to find sellers and engage in…

This paper examines the relation between political connections and informed trading by corporate insiders in the context of the Financial Crisis. The unprecedented magnitude of government intervention, the substantial impact of this intervention…

The combinatorial clock auction has become popular for large-scale spectrum awards and other uses, replacing more traditional ascending or clock auctions. We describe some surprising properties of the auction, including a wide range of ex post…

We analyze the sourcing decision of a buyer choosing between two supplier types: responsible suppliers are costly but adhere to strict social and environmental responsibility standards, whereas risky suppliers are less expensive but may…

Executive compensation is a highly controversial topic. Journalists, governance commentators, and members of the American public believe that the majority of CEOs are overpaid. Missing from the discussion, however, is the viewpoint of the…