Michael Ostrovsky

Fred H. Merrill Professor of Economics
Academic Area:
Michael Ostrovsky

Stanford GSB Affiliations

Academic Degrees

  • PhD in Business Economics, Harvard University, 2005
  • AM in Economics, Harvard University, 2003
  • BAS in Mathematics, Economics, Stanford University, 1999

Academic Appointments

  • At Stanford University since 2005
  • Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014–present
  • Visiting Scientist, Google, 2013–14
  • National Fellow, Hoover Institution, 2008–09

Awards and Honors

  • Spence Faculty Fellow for 2021–22
  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2011–15
  • National Science Foundation Research Grant, 2011–15

Service to the Profession

    • Co-Director, Working Group on Market Design, National Bureau of Economic Research
    • Co-editor, American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
    • Associate Editor, Econometrica

    Research Statement

    Michael Ostrovsky’s research is in the areas of game theory, market design, industrial organization, and finance. Most recently, he has analyzed the economics of carpooling and self-driving cars, the properties of internet advertising auctions, information aggregation in financial markets, stability in trading networks, and voting in shareholder meetings.

    Journal Articles

    Nicolas Lanzetti, Maximilian Schiffer, Michael Ostrovsky, Marco Pavone
    IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems
    December 2023 Pages 1–12
    Michael Ostrovsky, Michael Schwarz
    Journal of Political Economy
    December 2023 Vol. 131 Issue 12
    Michael Ostrovsky
    American Economic Review
    September 2023 Vol. 113 Issue 9 Pages 2486–2505
    Scott Duke Kominers, John William Hatfield, Alexandru Nichifor, Michael Ostrovsky, Alexander Westkamp
    Theoretical Economics
    January 2021 Vol. 16 Issue 1 Pages 197–234
    Nicolas S. Lambert, Michael Ostrovsky, Mikhail Panov
    Econometrica
    July 2018 Vol. 86 Issue 4 Pages 1119-1157
    Michael Ostrovsky, Renato Paes Leme
    Theoretical Economics
    September 2015 Vol. 10 Issue 3 Pages 853-865
    Michael Ostrovsky, John William Hatfield, Scott Duke Kominers, Alexandru Nichifor, Alexander Westkamp
    Journal of Political Economy
    October 2013 Vol. 121 Issue 5 Pages 966–1005
    Michael Ostrovsky
    Econometrica
    November 2012 Vol. 80 Issue 6 Pages 2595-2647
    Michael Ostrovsky, Gregor Matvos
    Journal of Financial Economics
    October 2010 Vol. 98 Issue 1 Pages 90-112
    Michael Ostrovsky, Michael Schwarz
    American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
    May 2010 Vol. 2 Issue 2 Pages 34-63
    Michael Ostrovsky, Archishman Chakraborty, Alessandro Citanna
    Journal of Economic Theory
    January 2010 Vol. 145 Issue 1 Pages 85-105
    Gregor Matvos, Michael Ostrovsky
    Journal of Financial Economics
    2008 Vol. 89 Issue 3 Pages 391-403
    Michael Ostrovsky
    American Economic Review
    2008 Vol. 98 Issue 3 Pages 897-923
    Benjamin Edelman, Michael Ostrovsky, Michael Schwarz
    American Economic Review
    2007 Vol. 97 Issue 1 Pages 242-259
    Ariel Pakes, Michael Ostrovsky, Steven Berry
    RAND Journal of Economics
    2007 Vol. 38 Issue 2 Pages 373–399
    Michael Ostrovsky, Michael Schwarz
    RAND Journal of Economics
    2005 Vol. 36 Issue 4 Pages 816-832

    Working Papers

    Michael Ostrovsky, Andrzej Skrzypacz October 2022
    Michael Ostrovsky November 7, 2020
    Michael Ostrovsky, Michael Schwarz February 12, 2018

    In the Media

    Insights by Stanford Business

    December 10, 2024
    A couple of economists have some suggestions for improving the Big Apple’s rollout of congestion pricing.
    July 11, 2022
    Here’s a list of shows to add to your summer listening.
    March 31, 2021
    Auctions intended to level the playing field for Google’s rivals have not reduced the search giant’s dominance, new research shows.
    April 26, 2018
    Three new technologies could end the nightmare of commuting.
    January 01, 2006
    A scholar shows how the current mechanism could be adjusted to create an auction that better serves advertisers.

    School News

    September 01, 2005
    Three senior professors — in accounting, organizational behavior, and marketing — have joined the Stanford GSB faculty, along with six junior faculty.