Handbook on the Economics of Retailing and Distribution

by Emek Basker (Editor)

Overview

This Handbook explores and critically examines current research in economics and marketing science on key issues in retailing and distribution. Providing a rich perspective for the discussion of public policy, contributions from several disciplines and continents range from the history of chains and the impact of multinational retailers on international trade patterns to US merger policy in the retail context, the rise of the Internet, and consumer-to-consumer sales.

The chapters address methodological issues such as the structural estimation of entry games between retailers, productivity measurement when both inputs and output are not fully observable, and demand estimation with variable assortment. Policy issues explored include mergers, zoning, and the regulation of buyer power, while other chapters address some of the recent exciting developments in technology, retail formats, and data availability. The book goes on to study the changes in online retailing and 'big data', and to examine competition in specific retail sectors including gasoline stations, automobile dealerships, supermarkets, and 'big box' retail.

This state-of-the-art Handbook is an essential reference for students and academics of economics and marketing science, and offers an outsider's perspective to specialists in operations research, data analytics, geography, and sociology.

Contributors: V. Aguirregabiria, E. Basker, R.R. Betancourt, A. Carden, C. Courtemanche, A. Dukes, P.B. Ellickson, S.F. Ellison, L. Foster, T. Geylani, J. Haltiwanger, W. Hickman, D. Hosken, M. Hwang, R. Jing, S. Klimek, C.J. Krizan, J.H. Mortimer, C. Murry, M.D. Noel, S. Ohlmacher, A. Pozzi, H. Raff, B.T. Ratchford, F. Schivardi, N. Schmitt, H.S. Schneider, H. Smith, M.D. Smith, J. Suzuki, S. Tadelis, S. Tenn, A. Zentner

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783477371
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	02/18/2016
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.62(w) x 9.62(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edited by Emek Basker, Department of Economics, University of Missouri–Columbia, US

Table of Contents

Contents:

Introduction Emek Basker

PART I: DEVELOPMENT
1. The Evolution of National Retail Chains: How We Got Here
Lucia Foster, John Haltiwanger, Shawn Klimek, C.J. Krizan and Scott Ohlmacher

2. The Evolution of Technology in the Retail Sector
Emek Basker

3. Retail Productivity
Brian T. Ratchford

4. Distribution Services, Technological Change and the Evolution of Retailing and Distribution in the 21st Century
Roger R. Betancourt

PART II: VERTICAL ORGANIZATION
5. The Economics of Retailer-Supplier Pricing Relationships: Theory and Evidence
Howard Smith

6. Dominant Retailers and Their Impact on Marketing Channels
Anthony Dukes and Tansev Geylani

7. Retailing and International Trade
Horst Raff and Nicolas Schmitt

8. The Role of Multinational Retailers as Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries
Ran Jing

PART III: HORIZONTAL ORGANIZATION AND COMPETITION
9. Empirical Games of Market Entry and Spatial Competition in Retail Industries
Victor Aguirregabiria and Junichi Suzuki

10. Entry Regulation in Retail Markets
Andrea Pozzi and Fabiano Schivardi

11. Horizontal Merger Analysis in Retail Markets
Dan Hosken and Steven Tenn

12. Price Search and Obfuscation: An Overview of the Theory and Empirics
Sara Fisher Ellison

13. Demand Estimation with Availability Variation
William Hickman and Julie Holland Mortimer

PART IV: SECTORS
14. The Economics of Retail Markets for New and Used Cars
Charles Murry and Henry S. Schneider

15. The Evolution of the Supermarket Industry: From A&P to Walmart
Paul B. Ellickson

16. Retail Gasoline Markets
Michael D. Noel

17. The Evolution and Impact of the General Merchandise Sector
Art Carden and Charles Courtemanche

18. Internet Effects on Retail Markets
Michael D. Smith and Alejandro Zentner

19. Two-Sided e-commerce Marketplaces and the Future of Retailing
Steven Tadelis

PART V: ADDENDUM
20. Big Data and the Future of Retail Research
Minha Hwang

Index

Editorial Reviews

‘Entry and exit. Technical progress. Consumer search. Big data. If you had to choose just one sector to show the power and insight of modern economics, retail and distribution might well be it. This excellent volume merges theory, data, and econometrics to examine a fascinating industry, with a rich blend of history, abstract analysis, and case studies. Leading scholars in the field take us from first century vending machines to e-commerce in a well-edited, authoritative, and highly readable collection of survey articles.’

Jonathan Haskel

‘This is an impressive volume that brings together top researchers working on the economics of retailing and distribution. The content ranges from rich descriptive analyses of the key aspects of technical change driving the industry, to technical discussions of cutting edge empirical techniques. It will be a great resource, both for experts in the field, and researchers and graduate students thinking of working in the area.’

Thomas J. Holmes

‘Despite the enormity of the retail sector and its importance to the US economy, prior to this book there was no guide to economic research issues in retailing and distribution. The Handbook on the Economics of Retailing and Distribution provides the definitive synopsis of economic and regulatory issues pertaining to this dynamic sector and defines the frontiers of the research agenda for this emergent field.’

Judith A. Chevalier