Steve Tadelis

Steve Tadelis is a Professor of Economics and Sarin Chair in Leadership and Strategy at Berkeley Haas. His research primarily revolves around e-commerce and the economics of the internet.

During the 2016-2017 academic year he was on leave at Amazon, where he applied economic research tools to a variety of product and business applications and worked with technologists, computer and ML scientists, and business leaders. During the 2011-2013 academic years he was on leave at eBay research labs, where he hired and led a team of research economists who focused on the economics of e-commerce, with particular attention to creating better matches of buyers and sellers; reducing market frictions by increasing trust and safety in eBay’s marketplace; understanding the underlying value of different advertising and marketing strategies; and exploring the market benefits of different pricing structures.

Aside from the economics of e-commerce, his main fields of interest are the economics of incentives and organizations, industrial organization, and microeconomics. Some of his past research aspired to advance our understanding of the roles played by two central institutions—firms and contractual agreements—and how these institutions facilitate the creation of value. Within this broader framework, Tadelis explored firm reputation as a valuable, tradable asset; the effects of contract design and organizational form on firm behavior with applications to outsourcing and privatization; public and private sector procurement and award mechanisms; and the determinants of trust.