We present empirical analyses of the effects of two hospital mergers - both occurring in the northern suburbs of Chicago in 2000 - on the pre- and post-merger prices negotiated with commercial health insurers. Using difference-in-differences methodology and data on actual transaction prices,...

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Draft is a natural laboratory for the study of bargaining: There are no bonus restrictions, draft picks cannot be traded, and there are no commitment issues (i.e., players “declaring†for the draft). This article tests the implications of bargaining...

In some cases, complementary products are sold to different sets of agents to aid in transactions between them. In the context of a simplified model, this article shows that a monopolist has an incentive to integrate into and foreclose other sellers of a complementary product used in fixed...

Economics at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) supports both the competition and consumer protection missions of the agency. In this year’s essay we discuss a range of activities focusing on data-intensive antitrust cases in the hospital and consumer products industries. We also discuss our...