@radostinashopova
Economist interested in IO and Digital Econ. Assistant Professor at the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and a Research Affiliate at CEPR. Likes to theorize. https://sites.google.com/view/radostinashopova/home
I’m excited to share that I’ve become a Research Affiliate with the Industrial Organization network at @cepr.org. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity, honored to join a community I truly admire, and looking forward to contributing in the years ahead. cepr.org/research/pro...
New short paper alert! 📘
I look at how linear demand systems handle changes in the number of products (n) and variety effects—building on Choné & Linnemer (2020), Spence (1976), and Levitan & Shubik (1980).
www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2025...
I am happy to announce that the paper has found its home in Economics Letters www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I thank the editor, Joseph E. Harrington, and an anonymous referee for the useful comments and the smooth, efficient publishing process.
Please see below a repost of the main points.
Users dislike ads-> competing for users platforms limit ads with higher fees. With less competition (post-merger big or small), platforms care less about users and allow more ads by lowering fees. If no new entrants restore competition, fees stay high long-run. See Anderson&Peitz(2020) for details.
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: Mergers between fierce competitors are more likely to benefit advertisers than between highly differentiated firms. Relevance to the rumored TikTok sale in the U.S.? Curious? Check out: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Ergo, 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆, we need to consider innovation effects in merger control for ad-funded platforms.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: Even the advertisers' side can be harmed. After a merger, reduced innovation leads to fewer consumer interactions. Advertisers dependent on consumer attention could be worse off, despite lower fees.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿: At least advertisers are better off - Ad-funded platform mergers create a "see-saw" effect: reduced competition lowers ad fees, benefiting advertisers, but increased ads harm consumers (Anderson & Peitz, 2020).
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼: We introduce innovation to the discussion of ad-funded platform mergers.
𝗪𝗵𝘆: Assessment of merger effects in these markets is especially hard given the zero prices charged to consumers, making innovation a crucial element to consider.
The Limits of Media See-Saws: Ad-Funded Platform Mergers Can Harm Both Sides Shiva Shekhar Radostina Shopova March 19, 2025 We study the welfare effects of a merger between ad-funded platforms facing elastic consumer demand. We show that advertising fees as well as quality investment levels by the platforms fall post-merger. Interestingly, despite the lower advertising fees, advertisers may be worse off when their value of interacting with consumers is high enough. The intuition for this result is that the decrease in quality investments post-merger reduces overall consumer participation. Thus, studying innovation incentives is important in these ad-funded markets as the well-known surplus see-saw result may not hold making both sides of the markets worse while the merged entity emerges as the sole winner. JEL Classification: D42, D43, L12, L13, L22, L86 Keywords: Ad-funded platforms, two-sided markets, horizontal mergers, innovation, quality
Hey, #EconSky, I am excited to share a new working paper with my amazing co-author Shiva Shekhar (check out his previous work here: sites.google.com/site/shivash...)
Do we do threads🧵on #EconSky? I recently gave a talk on competition policy and startup acquisitions. Here are the main points:
1/ Since ~2001, acquisitions have overtaken IPOs as the primary "exit" for VC-backed startups. This shift impacts how competition plays out.
🚀I am excited to announce that I am on the Job Market this year!
My JMP, "Destructive Communication" (with M. Andres), shows that when individuals are highly polarized, communication not only fails to promote trust but actively damages it.
#Econsky #EconJM #EconJobMarket #JMP
1/4
📢 I am on the economic job market 🚀
My JMP "Algorithmic and Human Collusion" shows pricing algorithms can be more collusive than humans and explores their interaction.
Link: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Other research: tfwerner.com
#EconSky #EconJM #JMP
Welcome, new #EconSky joiners!
I have updated my starter pack - now with over 120 IO, org econ, innovation and firm dynamics researchers. If you think I have forgotten someone, please let me know.
go.bsky.app/Rchu8QX
The running list of IO job market candidates for 2024-2025 is live!
Fill this out to add your info: forms.gle/upCQ4Ez7sBTP...
Running list here: shoshanavasserman.com/io-jmc/
Hi #econsky. I am looking for open source projects to contribute to: (1) improve my coding skills; and (2) keep in touch with the econometrics I learnt in my Masters but don't use in my job every day. I am looking for projects in Python preferably :)
Older generations didn't read as well and waited for the movie/series. AI just takes on the role of summarizing, making it faster and more efficient, potentially covering a broader literature set.
That said, a summary omits nuances for in-depth understanding, independent of how it is generated.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch @tomasoduso.bsky.social! Unser Abteilungsleiter Unternehmen und Märkte ist neuer Vorsitzender der Monopolkommission. Die Kommission berät die Regierung, den Bundestag und den Bundesrat sowie die Öffentlichkeit in Fragen der Wettbewerbspolitik.
www.diw.de/de/diw_01.c....
I am trying to be more active on here, and have not yet seen an IO or org econ starter pack, so here is an attempt at one:
go.bsky.app/Rchu8QX
Please shout out if I have forgotten someone, or when others join. #EconSky
For Bluesky-Curious Econ Lovers, a Quick Start guide to plugging into the economics community here.
I wrote it hoping to lower the costs & boost the benefits for folks to engage here.
If you think it's useful, please share it.
📉📈 #️⃣#️⃣
aaronsojourner.org/for-bluesky-...
Regular intro as network expands. We are the Economics department of Central European University in Vienna 🇦🇹. We have 2y MA, 1y MS and PhD programs, and take part in BA programs. economics.ceu.edu/programs
Many faculty love running. Some ski.
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #1,539,393!
P.S. I hope Econsky grows even faster 😊
Welcome
@cepr.org
@nberpubs.bsky.social
@aeajournals.bsky.social
@qjeharvard.bsky.social, who all joined Bluesky recently!
I added you and other new econ institutions' accounts to this Starter Pack.
Thanks for posting here!
go.bsky.app/4deCZJ2
I drafted a guide for Bluesky-Curious Econ Lovers. Posting here for feedback before circulating more widely.
Anything you like about the draft? Anything that could be improved? Thanks!
📈📉 #️⃣#️⃣
aaronsojourner.org/bluesky/
In new research, @fmontag.bsky.social (our #StiglerAffiliate Fellow), Alina Sagimuldina, and Christoph Winter study the impact of mandatory price disclosure (MPD) for sellers in the German retail fuel market.
www.promarket.org/2024/07/23/w...
#econsky: still one week to send your papers!!
asesec.org/jornadas-de-...
Keynote Speaker: Jidong Zhou
Frontiers in Industrial Organization:
Chloé Le Coq & Alexandre de Cornière
Carl Shapiro discusses the central role of economics in merger review under Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
This article is the second in a short series between @ericposner.bsky.social and Carl Shapiro. It previews their upcoming debate at #StiglerAntitrust24.
www.promarket.org/2024/04/05/u...
NEW: Does Apple Stifle or Promote Innovation?
The recent #antitrust complaint against Apple heralds a pivotal shift in understanding the influence of tech giants on innovation in the digital realm. Maurice Stucke highlights three key takeaways.
www.promarket.org/2024/04/02/d...
NEW: At the heart of the government’s lawsuit against Apple are the tech company’s practices of tying and refusing to deal. The complaint indicates that the consumer welfare standard will determine the outcome of the case, writes @sherman1890.bsky.social www.promarket.org/2024/04/02/c...
Why I think the DOJ’s case against Apple is interesting and important: www.promarket.org/2024/04/02/a...