Francine Lafontaine

William Davidson Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy
Professor of Economics, LSA

Education
PhD University of British Columbia 1988
Biography

Francine Lafontaine's areas of interest are in the field of Industrial Organization, with a special focus on vertical relationships, including franchising and other forms of inter-firm contracting, and related antitrust issues. Her research is mostly concerned with the application of advances in contract theory to the analysis of organizational issues in the vertical chain, especially into distribution. She also considers the effect of contracting practices on firm performance, as well as issues surrounding business creation and survival in retail and small-scale service industries more generally.

Latest Faculty News & Research
The Role of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth
Authors
Francine Lafontaine and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
Published Date
2022
Authors
Francine Lafontaine and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
Source
University of Chicago Press
Pages
291-370
The Recent Evolution of Physical Retail Markets: Online Retailing, Big Box Stores, and the Rise of Restaurants
Aaron Chatterji, Josh Lerner, Scott Stern, and Michael J. Andrews
The Antitrust Revolution, 7th Edition
Authors
Francine Lafontaine, Christopher J. Metcalf, David R. Schmidt, and Brett W. Wendling
Published Date
2018
Authors
Francine Lafontaine, Christopher J. Metcalf, David R. Schmidt, and Brett W. Wendling
Source
New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Investigating a Merger in the Pharmacy Benefit Management Industry: The Express Scripts Acquisition of Medco (2012)
John. E. Kwoka and Lawrence J. White
Global Antitrust Economics, Current Issues in Antitrust and Law & Economics
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Published Date
2016
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Source
Institute of Competition Law
Pages
43-50
On the Use of Economics in Support of the Competition Mission at the FTC
Douglas H. Ginsburg and Joshua D. Wright
The Impact of Incomplete Contracts on Economics
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Published Date
2016
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Source
Oxford University Press
Pages
61-64
Discussion of Wouter Dessein's Incomplete Contracts and Firm Boundaries: New Directions
Philippe Aghion, Mathias Dewatripont, Patrick Legros, Luigi Zingales
Oxford Handbook on International Antitrust Economics
Authors
Francine Lafontaine
Published Date
2015
Authors
Francine Lafontaine
Source
Oxford University Press
Franchising and Exclusive Distribution: Adaptation and Antitrust
Roger Blair and Daniel Sokol
Game Theory and Business Applications, 2nd edition
Authors
Lafontaine, F. and Slade, M.
Published Date
2014
Authors
Lafontaine, F. and Slade, M.
Source
Springer
Pages
137-188
Incentive and Strategic Contracting: Implications for the Franchise Decision
Kalyan Chatterjee and William Samuelson
Handbook of Organizational Economics
Authors
Francine Lafontaine, Margaret Slade
Published Date
2012
Authors
Francine Lafontaine, Margaret Slade
Source
Princeton University Press
Inter-Firm Contracts: The Evidence
R. Gibbons and J. Roberts
International Differences in the Business Practices and Productivity of Multinational Firms: A Case-Based Approach
Authors
Francine Lafontaine and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
Published Date
09/2009
Authors
Francine Lafontaine and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
Source
NBER and University of Chicago Press
Within-firm Labor Productivity across Countries: A Case Study
Richard Freeman and Kathryn L. Shaw
Authors
Miller, N., Berry, S, Scott Morton, F, Baker, J, Bresnahan, T, Gaynor, M, Gilbert, R, Hay, G, Jin, G, Kobayashi, B, Lafontaine, F, Levinsohn, J, Marx, L, Mayo, J, Nevo, A, Pakes, A, Rose, N, Rubinfeld, D, Salop, S, Schwartz, M, Seim, K, et al.
Published Date
2022
Authors
Miller, N., Berry, S, Scott Morton, F, Baker, J, Bresnahan, T, Gaynor, M, Gilbert, R, Hay, G, Jin, G, Kobayashi, B, Lafontaine, F, Levinsohn, J, Marx, L, Mayo, J, Nevo, A, Pakes, A, Rose, N, Rubinfeld, D, Salop, S, Schwartz, M, Seim, K, et al.
Source
Journal of Antitrust Enforcement
Volume
10
Issue
2
Pages
248–259
Franchising: Directions for Future Research
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Published Date
02/2014
Authors
Lafontaine, F.
Source
International Journal of the Economics of Business
Volume
21
Issue
1
Pages
21-25
Too Far Away? The Effect of Distance to Headquarters on Business Establishment Performance
Authors
Kalnins, A. and Lafontaine, F.
Published Date
08/2013
Authors
Kalnins, A. and Lafontaine, F.
Source
AEJ - Microeconomics
Volume
5
Issue
3
Pages
157-179
Much Ado about Chains: A Research Agenda
Authors
Renáta Kosová , Francine Lafontaine
Published Date
05/2012
Authors
Renáta Kosová , Francine Lafontaine
Source
International Journal of Industrial Organization
Volume
30
Issue
3
Pages
303-308
Using Revenue Sharing to Implement Flexible Pricing: Evidence from Movie Exhibition Contracts
Authors
Ricard Gil, Francine Lafontaine
Published Date
06/2012
Authors
Ricard Gil, Francine Lafontaine
Source
Journal of Industrial Economics
Volume
60
Issue
2
Pages
187-219
Franchise Contracting and Organization - Revised Edition, 2010
Authors
LaFontaine, Francine (Ed.)
Published Date
2005
Authors
LaFontaine, Francine (Ed.)
Source
Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar
The Economics of Franchising
Authors
Lafontaine, F. and Blair, R.
Published Date
2005
Authors
Lafontaine, F. and Blair, R.
Source
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press