讲座题目：

Asymmetric Information Sharing in Oligopoly: A Natural Experiment in Retail Gasoline

主讲人： 吴晓松 墨尔本大学

讲座时间：2025年12月19日10:00

讲座地点：学院210

讲座内容摘要：Using a natural experiment from a retail gasoline antitrust case, we study how asymmetric information sharing affects oligopoly pricing. Empirically, price competition softens when, following case settlement, information sharing shifts from symmetric to asymmetric, with one firm losing access to high-frequency granular rival price data. We provide theory and empirics illustrating how strategic ignorance creates price commitment, leading to higher price-cost margins. Using a structural model, we find substantial profit-enhancing effects of asymmetric information sharing. These results provide a cautionary tale for antitrust agencies regarding the potential unintended consequences of limiting price information sharing among firms.

主讲人学术简介：

Xiaosong (Andy) Wu is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Economics at the University of Melbourne. His research lies in empirical industrial organization and competition policy, with a particular interest in how information shapes consumer behavior, firm strategy, and market outcomes. Dr. Wu’s work has been published in leading academic journals including The Journal of Political Economy, The Review of Economics and Statistics, and The RAND Journal of Economics. He teaches undergraduate courses in Competition and Strategy and graduate courses in Empirical Industrial Organization.