My research focuses on organizational economics, institutional design and business strategy, with an emphasis on the interaction between formal and relational governance mechanisms, and between governance and institutions. I believe in an interdisciplinary approach to the study of organization, which combines the analytical tools of economics (formal modeling and econometric analysis) with thick knowledge of the institutional, legal and social environment of business, in the spirit of Coase and Williamson.
Main publications
- “The Role of Relationship Scope in Sustaining Relational Contracts in interfirm networks,” with N. Argyres and J. Bercovitz, 2020, Strategic Management Journal 41: 222-245.
- “Property Rights in Sequential Exchange,” with B. Arruñada and N. Garoupa, 2019, Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 35: 127-153.
- “On the Determinants and Consequences of Informal Contracting,” with R. Gil, 2018, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy 27: 726-741.
- “Formal and Informal Contracting: Theory and Evidence,” with R. Gil, 2017, Annual Review of Law and Social Science 13: 141-159.
- “Endogenous Enforcement Institutions,” with G. Aldashev, 2017, Journal of Development Economics 128: 49-64.
- “The Double-Edged Effect of Knowledge Acquisition: How Contracts Safeguard Pre-Existing Resources,” with D. Lo and T. Madsen, 2016, Strategic Management Journal 37: 2014-20.
- “New Frontiers in the Empirical Research on Informal Contracting,” with R. Gil, 2016, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 172: 390-407.
- “Contract Adaptation under Legal Constraints,” 2013, Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 29: 799-834.
- “Vertical Restraints and the Law: Evidence from Automobile Franchising,” 2009, Journal of Law and Economics 52: 691-700.
- “Institutional Constraints on Organizations: The Case of Spanish Car Dealerships,” with B. Arruñada and L. Vázquez, 2009, Managerial and Decision Economics 30: 15-26
Working papers
- “Relationships under Stress: Relational Outsourcing in the US Airline Industry after the 2008 Financial Crisis,” with R. Gil and MJ. Kim, December 2019, 2nd Revise & Resubmit at Management Science.
- “Governing Investment in Inter-Firm Collaborations: the Role of Contracts” with D. Lo and M. Ghosh, May 2020, Revise & Resubmit at Strategic Management Journal.
- "Relationship Scope and Cooperation in Interfirm Relationships: Evidence from Airlines," with N. Argyres and R. Gil, July 2020.
- “Governance in the Wild: A Theory of Private vs. State Firm under Weak Institutions,” with G. Aldashev, July 2020.
- "Accountability versus Social Comparisons: A Theory of Pay Secrecy (and Transparency) in Organizations," with M. Fahn, February 2020.
Work in progress
- “Effort Allocation and Governance in Lobbying-Client Relationships: Evidence from the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act,” with M. Espinosa.
- “Governing Adaptation: Evidence from Slot Exchanges in the US Airline Industry,” with R. Gil.
- “Contracts as Management Practices: Evidence from Supplier Handbooks,” with N. Argyres and L. Bernstein.
- “Managing Social Comparisons in Organizations,” with O. Contreras and M. Fahn.
Book chapters and other publications
- "Relational Contracting in Developed Economies: Lessons From Slot Exchanges in the US Airline Industry," with R. Gil and MJ. Kim, 2019, Japanese Economic Review 70: 411-421.
- “Contracting in Innovative Industries,” with Ricard Gil, 2018, in Ménard, Claude, and Mary Shirley (editors), A Research Agenda for New Institutional Economics, Edward Elgar Publishers, 2018.
- “Informal Contracting within and between Firms,” 2017, with R. Gil, RAUSP Management Journal 5: 492-496.
- “Coase (1937) revisited: Endogenous Fiat in Firms and Markets,” 2012, International Review of Economics 59: 201-221, special issue in honor of Ronald Coase edited by Henry Smith.
- “Contratos Alrededor de la Ley: El Caso de la Distribución de Automóviles,” 2010, Economía Industrial 376: 111-118.
- “Restricting Franchising: An Empirical Analysis of the Allocation of Control Rights in Car Dealership Contracts,” in CAFAGGI, F., Corporate Governance, Networks and Innovation, CEDAM, Padova, 2005.