演讲人：袁哲（浙江大学）

时间：2025年5月9日（周五）10:30-11:30

地点：同济大厦A楼403室

同步#腾讯会议：295983853

会议密码：867380

链接：https://meeting.tencent.com/dm/BC02BmHUtNLh

摘要：Our study develops and estimates a structural model to analyze the role of platform-generated ratings (PGRs) in shaping consumer choices and seller quality investments. Unlike user-generated ratings, PGRs leverage platform-collected data on product quality, customer service, and logistics, providing consumers with more reliable signals of seller quality. Our model explicitly incorporates consumer consideration set formation, seller quality investment decisions, and the interaction between platform-generated and user-generated ratings. Using novel data that include not only transactional details but also consumer views and clicks, we identify the determinants of consumer consideration set formation. Additionally, unique quality metrics, observable only to the platform, enable us to recover the cost distribution of seller quality investment. Empirically, we employ a regression-discontinuity design to examine consumer responses to high PGR sellers. Our results indicate that customers are more likely to purchase from sellers with high PGRs, confirming their role as effective quality signals. Furthermore, our structural estimation reveals that the presence of PGRs significantly influences sellers’ quality incentives and the equilibrium distribution of quality. A counterfactual analysis suggests that while PGR adoption enhances overall welfare, the relationship between the rating threshold and consumer surplus is non-monotonic—stricter thresholds initially encourage investment but may later deter some sellers from improving quality. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of PGRs to improve market efficiency and consumer welfare by addressing asymmetric information and fostering quality competition among sellers.

简介：袁哲博士，浙江大学经济学院研究员，博士生导师。袁哲毕业于多伦多大学（博士）、北京大学（本科）。袁哲的研究领域是人工智能经济学，包括数据、算法、网络的经济影响。他的研究聚焦于数字平台上的算法与人工智能（搜索推荐系统、大语言模型），平台治理（平台机制设计与信息披露设计），数据要素（数据价值与数据隐私），以及网络经济（航空网络和电信网络）等问题。他的研究发表于多个国际顶级期刊，包括Rand Journal of Economics, AEJ-Microeconomics, Management Science, Information Systems Research，MSOM等。