Advances in Applied Microeconomics – serie

Advances in Applied Micro-economics

Volume 9 is entitled "Industrial Organization" and is the ninth volume in the series "Advances in Applied Microeconomics". This series provides a forum in which researchers may disseminate frontier research in applied microeconomics to include both theoretical and empirical contributions in applied areas such as industrial organization, consumer and producer behavior, public economics, natural resources, and other applied microeconomic fields. Volumes are published along themes and contain theoretical papers that apply state-of-the-art theory to model important real-world phenomenon, as well as empirical papers that examine such phenomenon.

Volume 10 is entitled "Advertising and Differentiated Products", and is part of the annual series "Advances in Applied Microeconomics". The series provides a forum in which researchers disseminate frontier research in applied microeconomics. The volume contains 11 chapters, which cover theoretical and empirical contributions. Four chapters examine theoretical models of incomplete information, product innovations in services, generic advertising, and brand loyalty and price competition. The seven empirical chapters examine both advertising and product differentiation, including generic advertising, advertising bans and the First Amendment, alcoholic beverage advertising, magazines advertising and news stand circulation, product variety in radio broadcasting, mandated exclusive territories, and pricing dynamics in the retail sector.

The Internet has revolutionized the way consumers and firms interact in the marketplace, and it has dramatically changed the information enjoyed by market participants at various points in the value chain. This volume on the Internet and e-commerce provides academics and practitioners with useful research on the 'glue' that holds the new economy together. The first six chapters of the text examine four broad issues: the role of the Internet in fostering competition, its impact on price dispersion and on business-to-business transactions, and the importance of reputation and trust in the new economy. The last four chapters examine the impact of the Internet on the organization of firms, the efficiency of auctions in the Internet age, how consumers choose websites and acquire product information, and the growing problem of congestion on the Internet. This volume is part of Emerald's "Advances in Applied Microeconomics" series - an annual research volume that seeks to disseminate frontier research well in advance of journals and other outlets.

The growing use of the internet by businesses and consumers is rapidly changing the structure, conduct, and performance of different sectors of the global economy. This ten chapter volume on organizing the 'new economy' documents some of these changes, and examines the ramifications for business strategy and public policy. Chapters in this volume explain how the Internet has altered the conduct of firms competing in 'new economy' markets (such as the online market for air travel information), changed the competitive and technological structure of a host of industries, and has impacted the valuation and performance of businesses (including online-retailers). In addition, contributors to this volume document that online price dispersion is ubiquitous worldwide, quantify the value of reputation in online auction markets, and explain optimal business behavior in 'new economy' settings where network effects, product compatibility, and market dynamics are important. The breadth of topics in this volume, coupled with the expertise and diverse backgrounds of its contributors, make 'Organizing the New Industrial Economy' a unique and valuable addition to the growing literature in the area. This volume is part of Emerald's "Advances in Applied Microeconomics" series - an annual research volume that disseminates frontier research well in advance of journals and other outlets.

As demand to substantiate predictions from economic theory with causal empirical evidence increases, economists have more and more turned towards controlled laboratory experiments. As this field has blossomed it has provided evidence confirming some of the key predictions of economic theory and exposed some of the weaker theoretical predictions. This has resulted in a symbiotic relationship where experimental evidence not only is used to support theoretical conclusions but has pointed economists into bold and exciting new areas of investigation. In this volume, I am proud to present some of the most stimulating work in this field. The first three chapters provide a fresh look at some of the classical issues in experimental economics. These papers provide novel insights into psychology in ultimatum games, the impact of social interaction on learning, and communication in coordination games. The next two chapters look at how experiments can illuminate our understanding of what determines trust. These papers examine how monitoring within an organization influences trust, as well as examining how individual political ideologies are related to an individuals level of trust. The final two chapters show how experiments can be fruitfully applied to vertical relationships and auction design, two of the most important areas in contemporary contract theory.

This volume brings together ten papers by outstanding researchers who tackle important economic issues surrounding school accountability reforms. The existing state of K-12 public education in the United States is perceived as unacceptable by a large number and wide variety of critics. How to improve upon this state is the subject of much disagreement. The public discussion is heated, and even the academic debate is often sharp. One common thread of argument stresses the need to increase accountability as a strategy for improving public school quality. There are two broad mechanisms for increasing accountability. If current outcomes are too low, then setting acceptable performance standards is one approach to generating quality improvements. The task becomes one of defining appropriate accountability standards and establishing a system of incentives to implement those standards. Alternatively, the low current performance may reflect weak productivity incentives traceable to the limited competition which many school operators face. The suggested remedy is a dose of increased choice, either increased public sector offerings such as charter schools or increased private sector choice via voucher-type programs. The papers in this volume employ relevant microeconomic analysis and current econometric techniques to better our understanding of these vital economic and public policy issues. It includes ten papers by leading researchers in the discipline. Included are works that assist in the understanding of important economic and public policy issues. It appeals to a wide audience of researchers in business, economics, microeconomics, and public policy disciplines.