This paper analyzes the effects of additional information in a life insurance market under adverse selection. It is shown that individuals have an incentive to acquire information about their risk type if their informational status cannot be observed by insurers. In aggregate, the existence of a...

In this paper we discuss the potential for future electricity market restructuring in Quebec. In particular, we consider the political economy of the abolishment of the Heritage Pool requirement, which caps wholesale prices. Its elimination is challenging since it would result in higher retail...

We set up a rational expectations model in which investors trade a risky asset based on a private signal they receive about the quality of the asset, and a public signal that represents a noisy aggregation of the private signals of all investors. Our model allows us to examine what happens to...

Many advertised products are established and have little quality variation. For these products advertising signaling explanations are unconvincing. We develop a coordination model of advertising with consumers observing ads probabilistically and never observing advertising levels. Consumers who...

We investigate the dominant role of advertising - whether it provides information or changes consumers' brand perceptions - for a wide range of product categories. For the empirical analysis, we assembled a panel data set that combines annual brand-level advertising expenditures for over three...

In this article I analyze the consequences of advertising in the children’s breakfast cereal market. I take advantage of the prohibition on advertising directed at children in the province of Quebec to examine the nature of advertising and to determine whether the restriction hinders...

We develop a model that endogenizes both advertising format ads with or without celebrity endorsements and the endorsement fee. Marketing studies suggest that celebrities enhance brand recall and perception of product value. In our model, ads featuring celebrities occur when the product market...