Alexander MacKay

MacKay’s research resides at the forefront of economics, combining theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis to uncover critical insights into price competition and consumer behavior. His investigations into strategic pricing decisions, influenced by algorithms, long-term contracts, vertical restraints, and shifting consuming preferences, bear significant implications for both business practices and regulatory policies and suggest new considerations for regulators when it comes to price competition. 

A key area of MacKay’s research is the evolution of consumer preferences and beliefs over time and their impact on firm pricing strategies. His analyses show how consumer behaviors, such as switching costs and intertemporal substitution, influence market dynamics in various contexts, including mergers, the adoption of new technologies, and longer-run sectoral shifts. 

MacKay’s research has been showcased in 16 scholarly publications and working papers as well as nine business cases. His influential work has garnered extensive recognition in his field and has been referenced by the Economic Report of the President and leading media outlets, including The New York Times, the Financial Times, TIME Magazine, and National Public Radio.