Carl Shapiro Email & Phone Number

Carl Shapiro is an American economist known for his pioneering work in the field of industrial organization and antitrust economics. Born in 1955, Shapiro has made significant contributions to our understanding of market power, competition policy, and the impact of technology on markets. He has had a distinguished career as both an academic and a public servant, and his insights have had a profound influence on both the theory and practice of antitrust law.

Shapiro's early work focused on the economics of innovation and technological change. In his influential 1983 paper "Premiums for High Quality Products as Returns to Reputations," Shapiro explored how firms can use product quality as a means of signaling their reliability to consumers. This work helped to lay the foundation for the modern study of reputation and branding, and it remains a classic in the field of industrial organization.

In the 1990s, Shapiro turned his attention to the impact of technological change on competition. Together with Hal Varian, he co-authored the seminal book "Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy." This book provided a comprehensive analysis of the economics of information technology and its implications for markets and competition. It was widely praised for its accessible style and rigorous analysis, and it has since become a standard reference for economists, business executives, and policymakers alike.

More recently, Shapiro has focused on the intersection of antitrust law and the digital economy. In his influential 2018 paper "Antitrust in a Time of Populism," Shapiro argued that the rise of populist sentiment and the growing influence of large technology companies have created new challenges for antitrust policy. He contended that traditional approaches to antitrust enforcement may be ill-equipped to address the unique dynamics of digital markets, and he called for a re-evaluation of antitrust doctrine in light of these changes.

Throughout his career, Shapiro has also been an active participant in public policy debates. He has served as a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, as well as a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice. In these roles, he has played a key role in shaping the U.S. government's approach to antitrust enforcement and competition policy.

Shapiro's work has had a significant impact on the field of economics and on public policy. His research has helped to advance our understanding of how markets work, and his policy advocacy has helped to shape the direction of antitrust law in the United States. For these reasons, Carl Shapiro is widely regarded as one of the leading economists of his generation, and his contributions to the field of industrial organization have earned him a well-deserved reputation as a trailblazer in the study of competition and market power.