Competition's New Clothes

François Lévêque is Professor of Economics at Mines ParisTech, Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres. He is also a part-time Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence. He founded Microeconomics, a Paris-based economics consultancy, which has recently joined Deloitte.

• Introduction; Part I. Competition and Market: 1. Three ski lessons for budding economists; 2. Containers conquering the world; 3. Casinos and one-armed bandits; 4. The great game of international gas; 5. The glamorous shipping market; 6. Intermezzo: the Earth is not that flat; Part II. Competition and Differentiation: 7. Coca-Cola versus Pepsi: the war is over; 8. A cruise in a gilded cage; 9. Lego's winning game; 10. Breakfast cereals invading space; 11. Four wine-economics tasting sessions; 12. Intermezzo: no end of differentiation; Part III. Competition and Innovation: 13. Uberizing the razor; 14. Coaches, BlaBlaCar and trains; 15. Apple versus Google, season one; 16. Apple versus Google, season two; 17. Super Mario can die, but like Nintendo he has several lives; 18. Intermezzo, on a theme of disruptive innovation; Part IV. Competition and Redistribution: 19. Bidding for soccer TV rights; 20. For and against fixed retail book prices; 21. Gyms running on empty; 22. Phantom economics at the opera; 23. Uber, or forget about taxis and drivers for a while; 24. Intermezzo on the redistributive effects of competition; Conclusion. The changing face of competition today.

'What has economics to say about skis, shipping, soccer and cereals? A great deal, as Lévêque shows in this addictively appealing book. Lévêque draws on the brilliant insights and evidence that leading economists studying industries and markets have amassed over the past forty years to lay out the various workings of competition in different industries. Falling transport costs, innovation and the digital revolution have transformed the world of industry and commerce. This book may do for industrial organization what Freakonomics did for the economics of the 'Hidden Side of Everything'.' David Newbury, Emeritus Professor and Director of The Energy Policy Research Group (EPRG), University of Cambridge