James W. Roberts, Fred W. Shaffer Professor and Chair

Please note: James has left the "Economics" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Professor Roberts specializes in research pertaining to the general subjects of auctions, industrial organization, and applied microeconomics. His latest works include, “Unobserved Heterogeneity and Reserve Prices in Auctions” and “Can Warranties Substitute for Reputations?” He is also collaborating with Seda Ertac and Ali Hortacsu on “Entry into Auctions: An Experimental Analysis”, with Ben Handel and Kanishka Misra on “Robust Firm Pricing with Panel Data” and with Ryan McDevitt on the study, “Gender Disparity in Urology: Preferences, Competition and Quality of Care”. He recently earned a research fellowship from the Center for the Study of Industrial Organization for 2008-2009 and also completed his doctoral dissertation: “Empirical Essays on Auctions.”

Contact Info:

Office Location:	213G Social Sciences Building, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	(919) 660-1800
Email Address:
Web Page:	https://sites.duke.edu/roberts/

Education:

Ph.D.	Northwestern University	2009
M.A.	Northwestern University	2005
B.A.	Davidson College	2004

Specialties:

Industrial Organization
Microeconomics

Research Interests: Industrial Organization, Auctions, Applied Microeconomics

Professor Roberts specializes in research pertaining to the general subjects of auctions, industrial organization, and applied microeconomics. His latest works include, “Unobserved Heterogeneity and Reserve Prices in Auctions” and “Can Warranties Substitute for Reputations?” He is also collaborating with Seda Ertac and Ali Hortacsu on “Entry into Auctions: An Experimental Analysis”, with Ben Handel and Kanishka Misra on “Robust Firm Pricing with Panel Data” and with Ryan McDevitt on the study, “Gender Disparity in Urology: Preferences, Competition and Quality of Care”. He recently earned a research fellowship from the Center for the Study of Industrial Organization for 2008-2009 and also completed his doctoral dissertation: “Empirical Essays on Auctions.”

Curriculum Vitae  Bio

Working Papers   (More Publications)

1. Ben Handel, Kanishka Misra, and James W. Roberts, Robust Firm Pricing with Panel Data (December, 2009)
2. James W. Roberts, Unobserved Heterogeneity and Reserve Prices in Auctions (November, 2009)
3. with Ryan C. McDevitt, Gender Disparity in Urology: Preferences, Competition and Quality of Care (October, 2009)
4. James W. Roberts, Can Warranties Substitute for Reputations? (June, 2009)
5. Seda Ertac, Ali Hortacsu, and James W. Roberts, Entry into Auctions: An Experimental Analysis (June, 2009)

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. James W. Roberts, Unobserved Heterogeneity and Reserve Prices in Auctions (November, 2009)
2. James W. Roberts, Can Warranties Substitute for Reputations? (June, 2009)
3. with Ryan C. McDevitt, Gender Disparity in Urology: Preferences, Competition and Quality of Care (October, 2009)
4. Ben Handel, Kanishka Misra, and James W. Roberts, Robust Firm Pricing with Panel Data (December, 2009)

News story: "New Professor Jimmy Roberts Returns to the South"