Greg Shaffer

Greg Shaffer is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Business & Public Policy and Professor of Marketing at the Simon Business School, University of Rochester. He concurrently holds an appointment in the School of Management at the University of East Anglia (UK) and is the founder and director of the Simon School’s Center for Pricing. His research focuses on pricing policies, vertical restraints (e.g., exclusive dealing, bundling, slotting allowances), and antitrust economics, employing game theoretic models. He has advised U.S. antitrust agencies and contributed to FTC reports on slotting allowances. Shaffer is a co-editor of the Journal of Economics & Management Strategy and associate editor of Journal of Economics & Business, with extensive editorial roles across multiple journals since 1998. He has also taught at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, the University of Michigan, and the Norwegian School of Economics.

Shaffer’s teaching accolades include multiple Superior Teaching Awards (2001, 2004, 2024) and being voted top instructor repeatedly. His courses emphasize pricing strategies, industrial organization, and vertical contracting. Research grants from the NSF, U.S. Social Science Research Council, and UK Social Research Council have supported his work. He has received the Emerald Management Review’s Citation of Excellence Award (2002) and has been cited in top journals like the American Economic Review and Journal of Political Economy.

His research trends highlight the interplay between pricing strategies and antitrust implications, particularly in distribution channels. Key themes include the use of game theory to analyze vertical restraints, the competitive effects of slotting allowances, and the design of market-share contracts. Recent work (2020–2025) examines media attention on pricing, bundling practices, and double marginalization microfoundations.

• Awards: Superior Teaching (2024, 2004, 2001), Emerald Citation (2002), Excellence in Education (1993–1994), Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow (1992–1993), Reader’s Digest Prize (1987–1988).
• Grants & Advising: NSF, FTC collaboration on slotting allowances, antitrust agency testimonies (1995, 2000).

Shaffer founded the Center for Pricing and collaborates with the Bradley Policy Research Center and the Business & Policy Initiative. His work bridges academic research with practical policy implications, especially in competition law and merger analysis.