报告题目：Search and Competition Under Product Quality Uncertainty（产品质量不确定下的搜索与竞争）

报告人：Yongmin Chen（美国科罗拉多大学）

报告时间：2023年6月6日（星期二）10:15-11:30

报告地点：商院大楼318会议室

邀请部门：经济学系

报告人简介：美国科罗拉多大学（University of Colorado Boulder）经济学终身教授和教务长讲席教授，产业组织理论领域的国际顶尖学者，在RAND Journal of Economics、Journal of International Economics、Journal of Public Economics、Economic Journal、American Economic Journal 、Review of Economics and Statistics、Journal of the European Economic Association、International Economic Review、European Economic Review 、Journal of Development Economics、Journal of Industrial Economics、International Journal of Industrial Organization、Journal of Economics & Management Strategy以及Management Science、Marketing Science、Journal of Business等经济管理顶级和一流刊物上发表多篇产生重要影响的论文。

报告摘要：I review models of consumer search and competition when product quality is uncertain and differs across firms. Although firms are vertically---and possibly also horizontally---differentiated, an appropriate symmetric price equilibrium with optimal consumer search can be neatly characterized. I propose a "random-quality" framework that unifies these models and discuss their insights on the operation of consumer search markets, focusing on (i) online advertising and search through platforms, (ii) the welfare effects of entry in search markets, and (iii) the role of quality observability under search frictions. I suggest directions for further research on these and related topics.