Matthew Backus

Matthew Backus is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on antitrust, auctions, bargaining, productivity, and welfare economics. He teaches courses related to industrial organization and holds a PhD from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, awarded in 2012. His office is located in F685 Haas, and he can be contacted via email at backus@berkeley.edu. His professional profile and curriculum vitae are available on the department's website.

Matthew Backus is an academic whose research focuses on industrial organization, particularly the impact of common ownership on market competition and the behavior of online auction markets. His work examines how common ownership affects competition, as seen in studies on the ready-to-eat cereal industry and the broader implications for market dynamics. Backus also investigates bargaining behavior in online markets, including sequential bargaining and the role of communication in bargaining breakdown. His research explores empirical methods for analyzing market interactions, including dynamic demand estimation and the measurement of information asymmetries. His studies often highlight the interplay between economic theory and empirical evidence in understanding market outcomes.