The objectives of the course are:

1. To develop understanding of core concepts and theories in industrial organization.

2. To develop understanding of how industry structure and strategic firm behaviour affect market performance and the welfare of society.

3. To develop skills in searching for, and making good use of, information and data on firms and industries and carry out basic research.

4. To develop teamwork and presentation skills.

This course introduces you to the economics of industrial organization. The field of industrial organization is concerned with how firms compete with each other in a variety of market structures and how this affects their performance, their customers and the welfare of society at large. It developed as a separate discipline in the U.S. in the 1930s and takes as its starting point that competition in the market place is often imperfect. Moreover, it takes a broad perspective on the nature of competition by considering industry rivalry along both price and non-price dimensions. Examples of the latter include product positioning, advertising and research & development.
The implied strategic firm behaviour can have far-reaching welfare consequences and gives rise to important policy questions. For instance, should the government intervene in a market that is controlled by a single (or a combination of) powerful enterprise(s)? Should certain pricing strategies be prohibited? Answers to these types of question are often far from trivial. It is then not surprising that there are different schools of thought in industrial economics; each with its own view on the workings of markets. In this course, you will learn about this variety of viewpoints and the corresponding policy recommendations.

Textbook + Articles.

This course is in transition for the bachelor Fiscal Economics.
See the Bachelor Education and Examination Regulations for more information.

The following rule applies to bachelor Fiscal Economics students.
TRANSITIONAL REGULATION (EBC2005):
The bachelor Fiscal Economics has been discontinued.

There will be repeat education for year 1 and year 2 courses up to and including academic year 2025-2026 and exam-only up to and including academic year 2026-2027. For year 3 courses there will be repeat education up to and including 2026-2027 and exam-only up to and including academic year 2027-2028.

Whether a course is in transition, cancelled, or replaced may depend on the cohort you are in. Sometimes there are additional criteria. It is therefore very important to carefully read the EER and any addendum so you can apply the rules to your individual situation.


PREREQUISITES:
An advanced level of English
First-year microeconomics
First-year statistical methods