Essays on the effects of information on economics

Abstract

Chapter 1 investigates the impact of foreign language proficiency on brain drain in Albania. It leverages the accidental exposure to Italian television signals in the country, which led to increased Italian proficiency. The study finds that this exposure significantly increased the migration of highly skilled individuals, while other skill groups were not affected. Chapter 2 explores the market for machine data (MD) generated by ICT and AI, highlighting issues such as fragmented datasets, externalities, and fuzzy property rights. It examines how data aggregators can contract with various data producers to share data and analytics, considering factors like producer heterogeneity, preference for anonymity, and market competition. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between price discrimination and tacit collusion in the U.S. airline industry using data from 2000 to 2019. The study reveals that the impact of price discrimination on collusion varies over time, influenced by the quality of information available. In periods of poor information quality, price discrimination inhibits collusion, but the effect reverses as information quality improves.