Essays in applied microeconomics

Dittrich, Johannes

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URN:	urn:nbn:de:bsz:180-madoc-636285
Document Type:	Doctoral dissertation
Year of publication:	2022
Place of publication:	Mannheim
University:	Universität Mannheim
Evaluator:	Peitz, Martin
Date of oral examination:	15 September 2022
Publication language:	English
Institution:	Außerfakultäre Einrichtungen > Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences - CDSE (Economics) School of Law and Economics > Industrieökonomik, Wettbewerbspolitik u. Regulierung (Peitz 2007-)
License:	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Subject:	330 Economics
Keywords (English):	rating systems , review scores , price effect , selection effect , hot hand , momentum , betting markets , information , beliefs
Abstract:	This dissertation contains three self-contained articles, each of which takes a different angle on the presentation of information and its impact on consumer decision making. As a common theme, all of these articles are concerned with the impact of information on decision making. I try to shed light on the question of informational quality in a variety of settings from an empirical angle. I provide new evidence that (i) sellers may be able to strategically affect consumer review scores through lower prices and may therefore be able to change the public image of and future demand for a product; (ii) prices in online sports betting may exhibit signs of the so-called hot hand effect or “streakiness” even though such beliefs are not supported by the underlying player performance statistics; and (iii) the degree to which individual player performance is affected by such a hot hand effect depends on their skill level and experience with a particular setting.