Research

My research spans various areas of applied microeconomics, with a particular focus on industrial organization, behavioural economics, and experimental methods. My expertise lies in the theoretical application and empirical analysis of individual behaviour and its implications for broader societal outcomes. In examining firm behaviour, I am especially interested in the interaction between taxation systems and market competition, with a focus on how fiscal policies can influence consumer behaviour.

To further understand the drivers of individual decision-making, I have increasingly engaged with behavioural and experimental economics, exploring themes such as social preferences, cooperative and competitive strategies, and cognitive bias. My primary research concentrates on the pharmaceutical and energy sectors, two areas with profound implications for consumers, innovation, and policy interventions.

In 2024, I joined a multidisciplinary team that secured a major EPSRC research grant to establish the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, where I serve as a Co-Investigator.

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

"Would You Like to Trade Your Energy? A Comparative Survey Experiment on Energy Trading Platforms" (2024) with Monica Giulietti and Shandelle Steadman, in The Energy Journal, forthcoming [SSRN Working Paper]

"From Energy Consumers to Prosumers: The Role of Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Residential Microgeneration Technology" (2023) with Monica Giulietti and Shandelle Steadman, in  Journal of Industrial and Business Economics.

"Mergers and Innovation: Evidence from the Hard Disk Drive Market" (2021) with  Steve Davies, Franco Mariuzzo, Peter Ormosi, in International Journal of Industrial Organization, Vol. 77, pages 102755 [Article]

 "Innovation and Growth in the UK Pharmaceuticals: the case of Product and Marketing Introductions" (2020), with Farasat Bokhari and Franco Mariuzzo,  in Small Business Economics, Vol. 57, pages 603–634  [Article]

"Patent Policy  Regulation and Public Health" (2019),  with Monica Giulietti,  in Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Vol. 46,  pages 431–457 [Article]

"A Flexible Classroom Experiment on the Causes and Forms of Bounded Rationality in Individual Choice "(2019), with  Adrian Gourlay and  Chris Wilson,  in Journal of Economic Education, Vol. 541 (1), pages 31-41 [Article]

"Does Regulation drive International  Research Cooperation? Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Sector" (2019), with Laura Magazzini, in The World Economy,  Vol. 4 (4), pages 1200-1223 [Article]

"Pharmaceutical Innovation, Competition and Patent Law. A Trilateral Perspective" (2015), (eds. Josef Drexl and Nari Lee), Book Review, in World Competition. Law and Economics Review, Vol. 38. pages 175-176 [Article]

"Pharmaceutical Innovation and Parallel Trade" (2014) with Tommaso Valletti, in International Journal of Industrial Organization, Vol.3 3, pages 83-92 [Article] [WP] [Policy Brief]

WORKING PAPERS  

Behavioural Economics

"The role of antisocial punishment in cooperative games" (with Katarina Dankova,  Enrique Fatas and Antonio Morales) [WP soon]

"Does the behavior of my neighbors matter? Tax compliance and spillover effects in networks" (with Natalia Borzino and Enrique Fatas) [WP soon]

Industrial Organization and Regulation

"Who pays for network infrastructure? The Catch-22 of decentralised energy technology " (with Andrew Burlinson and Monica Giulietti) [SSRN Working Paper]

"150 Years of Italian CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth" (with Barbara Annicchiarico and Emilio Zanetti Chini) [SSRN Working Paper] 

"Competition and Welfare Effects of Differentiated Taxation: Evidence from the Irish Automobile Market" (with Franco Mariuzzo and Paul Walsh) [SSRN Working Paper]

OTHER PUBLICATIONS & POLICY REPORTS

Le Coq, C., Bennato A. R., Duma, D., Lazarczyk Carlson, E., (2025), "Flexibility in Energy Sector",  report commissioned by Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE).[download]

Buccirossi, P. et al (2024), "Ex-post evaluation: EU competition enforcement and acquisitions of innovative competitors in the pharma sector leading to the discontinuation of overlapping drug research and development projects", report commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission. [download] 

Pollitt, M., von der Fehr, N., Banet, C., Le Coq, C., Willems, B., Bennato, A.R. and Navia, D., (2022) “Recommendations for a Future-Proof Electricity Market Design”,  report commissioned by Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE). [download]

Bennato, A.R., Carrara, P. and Russo, D. (2018), "Market Complexity Evaluation to Enhance the Effectiveness of TRIZ Outputs", book chapter in Market Complexity Evaluation to Enhance the Effectiveness of TRIZ Outputs. [download] 

Bennato, A.R. Davies, S., Ormosi, P. and Mariuzzo, F. (2017), “Feasibility study on the microeconomic impact of enforcement of competition policies”, study commissioned by the DG Competition of the European Commission. [download] 

Bennato, A.R. and Mariuzzo, F. (2015), Response to HM Treasury Consultation on "Tobacco Levy", February 2015. [download]

Bennato, A.R. and Mariuzzo, F. (2014), "Differentiated Taxation on Differentiated Product Markets" in Centre for Competition Policy Research Bulletin, Issue 27, pages 4-5. [download] 

Bennato, A.R. (2012), "Parallel Trade in Pharmaceuticals: are R&D investments affected?" in Centre for Competition Policy Research Bulletin, Issue 24, pages 14-15. [download]

Bennato, A.R. et al. (2011), Response to OFT Consultation on “Leniency and Penalties”, November, 2011. [download]

WORK IN PROGRESS

Does  economic uncertainty increase discrimination? (with Regine Oexl and Glenn Dutcher)

Depth of reasoning and cognitive discrimination (with Enrique Fatas and Antonio Morales) 

Patent Protection beyond the Pharmaceutical Industry. A Competitive Analysis (with Paolo Carrara and Davide Russo)

The Incidence of Fines on Cartel Dynamic Pricing  (with Franco Mariuzzo)

Symmetric and asymmetric pass-through. The case of the crude oil price (with Manos Trachanas)