Social and Information Sciences Laboratory (SISL) Seminar

Abstract: Platforms have emerged as a powerful economic force, driving both traditional markets, like the electricity market, and emerging markets, like the sharing economy. The power of platforms comes from their ability to tame the complexities of networked marketplaces -- marketplaces where there is not a single centralized market, but instead a network of interconnected markets loosely defined by a graph of feasible exchanges. Despite the power and prominence of platforms, the workings of platforms are often guarded secrets. In this talk, I will overview recent work from our group that focuses on understanding the consequences of control, transparency, and demand management in modern platforms. I will use electricity markets and ridesharing services as motivating examples throughout.