Consumers would not necessarily be better off if cable and satellite TV firms were required to offer a la carte pricing for individual channels, because the networks' programming charges and the satellite-and-cable fees could adjust in response to this rule.
Responses
Responses weighted by each expert's confidence
| Participant | University | Vote | Confidence | Bio/Vote History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Daron Acemoglu |
MIT | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Alberto Alesina |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Joseph Altonji |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Alan Auerbach |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 David Autor |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Katherine Baicker |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Marianne Bertrand |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Raj Chetty |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Judith Chevalier |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
Bundling creates opportunities for rent extraction not available if this tool is removed.
|
||||
 Janet Currie |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 David Cutler |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Angus Deaton |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Darrell Duffie |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
I hardly ever watch television, let alone follow the industry. Sorry!
|
||||
 Aaron Edlin |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
in addition, requirements of a la carte pricing are likely to be ineffective without a ban on bundled pricing.
|
||||
 Barry Eichengreen |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Ray Fair |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Pinelopi Goldberg |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
See: Crawford, G. and Ali Yurukoglu. 2012. "The Welfare Effects of Bundling in Multichannel Television Markets." AER, 102(2):643–85
-see background information here |
||||
 Claudia Goldin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Austan Goolsbee |
Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Michael Greenstone |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Robert Hall |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
Bundling is the natural pricing model with fairly homogeneous preferences. Consumers with low values would gain from unbundling.
|
||||
 Bengt Holmström |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
This is an analyzable question, I just haven't seen it done. In a non-collusive market (not the reality) requirements would be unnecessary.
|
||||
 Caroline Hoxby |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
The bundling is likely good for some consumers and back for others. There are few if any models of bundling in which it is bad for all.
|
||||
 Kenneth Judd |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Anil Kashyap |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
A la carte unfortunately is not a panacea.
|
||||
 Pete Klenow |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
I can imagine scenarios with small gains to consumers in the short run. And in the long run programming quality and variety might fall.
-see background information here |
||||
 Edward Lazear |
Stanford | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Jonathan Levin |
Stanford | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
Hard to say b/c offerings, prices might change - see, e.g. Crawford & Yurukoglu's careful AER study that shows uncertain effects.
-see background information here |
||||
 Eric Maskin |
Harvard | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 William Nordhaus |
Yale | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Maurice Obstfeld |
Berkeley | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Emmanuel Saez |
Berkeley | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 José Scheinkman |
Columbia University | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Richard Schmalensee |
MIT | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Hyun Song Shin |
Princeton | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 James Stock |
Harvard | Did Not Answer | Bio/Vote History | |
|
|
||||
 Nancy Stokey |
University of Chicago | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Richard Thaler |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
Both prix fixe and a la carte have their place. But to paraphrase Mark Knofler, I want my, I want my, I want my Daily Show.
|
||||
 Christopher Udry |
Northwestern | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
 Luigi Zingales |
Chicago Booth | Bio/Vote History | ||
|
|
||||
