Awarded the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economics, Finance and Management, economist Robert Porter analyzes in this interview how industrial economics and the empirical study of markets allow us to understand the strategic behavior of companies. Drawing on his research on auctions, oligopolistic competition, and regulation, Porter explains how data and econometric models help identify anti-competitive practices and design more effective public policies. His reflections highlight the importance of combining theory, evidence, and structural analysis to improve the functioning of markets and promote more efficient and transparent economic environments.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Economics, Finance and Management category goes, in this tenth edition, to Timothy Bresnahan, Ariel Pakes and Robert Porter for founding and shaping the field of empiric
Awarded the 10th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economics, Finance and Management, economist Robert Porter analyzes in this interview how industrial economics and the empirical study of markets allow us to understand the strategic behavior of companies. Drawing on his research on auctions, oligopolistic competition, and regulation, Porter explains how data and econometric models help identify anti-competitive practices and design more effective public policies. His reflections highlight the importance of combining theory, evidence, and structural analysis to improve the functioning of markets and promote more efficient and transparent economic environments.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Economics, Finance and Management category goes, in this tenth edition, to Timothy Bresnahan, Ariel Pakes and Robert Porter for founding and shaping the field of empirical industrial organization, a branch of economics that has developed fundamental techniques to measure market power (understood as the ability of a firm to control prices in a given industry). “Motivated by important and policy-relevant questions in applied economics,” remarks the jury in its citation, “they developed methodologies that had a significant and long-lasting impact on subsequent work in industrial organization as well as other applied fields.”
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Could you explain your contribution to the field of Empirical Industrial Organization, in which you have been a pioneer together with Ariel Pakes and Timothy Bresnahan?
00:47 Could you provide examples of specific industries in which your work has been successfully applied?
01:22 The jury has highlighted your theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of collusion. Could you explain how your work in this field can help detect collusion and provide examples where this has been achieved?
02:02 What are you currently working on, and how do you see the future of Empirical Industrial Organization?
