Michael Irlacher
@michaelirlacher.bsky.social
1.1K followers 380 following 43 posts
Associate Professor JKU Linz | Previously LMU Munich | Affiliate CESifoNetwork | International Economics, IO, Labor https://sites.google.com/site/irlachermichael/home
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
petereppinger.com
Join our team! We are hiring a Postdoc in International Economics at the University of Oldenburg:
uol.de/job752en
Happy to chat 🙂
Research Associate / Postdoctoral Researcher in International Economics // University of Oldenburg
uol.de
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
andreassteinmayr.net
Next year, we will host the VfS Annual Meeting in Innsbruck. I look forward to seeing many of you on our beautiful campus in the Alps. #VfS_Conf2026
vfsecon.bsky.social
📢 After the Annual Meeting is before the Annual Meeting! We are very much looking forward to #VfS_Conf2026! Where? @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social
🔗https://www.socialpolitik.de/de/termin/annual-conference-2026
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
centrefiw.bsky.social
📢 @centrefiw.bsky.social announces its 18. Research Conference ‘International Economics’!

📅 February 19-20, 2026
📍 @wuvienna.bsky.social
🎙️ Keynote: @lionel-fontagne.bsky.social ((University Paris 1, PSE)

📝 Submission deadline: Oct. 31, 2025
CfP ➡️ www.fiw.ac.at/event/18-fiw...

#CallForPapers
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
I had a lot of fun with great people at the @centrefiw.bsky.social research retreat last weekend.
centrefiw.bsky.social
🌟 A big thank you to all the participants of the @centrefiw.bsky.social
-Retreat 2025 at Schneeberg!

It was a pleasure to bring together brilliant Austrian trade economists to discuss ongoing research and exchange ideas for future activities!
#FIW #Economics #Collaboration #Research
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
centrefiw.bsky.social
🌟 A big thank you to all the participants of the @centrefiw.bsky.social
-Retreat 2025 at Schneeberg!

It was a pleasure to bring together brilliant Austrian trade economists to discuss ongoing research and exchange ideas for future activities!
#FIW #Economics #Collaboration #Research
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
imanelici.bsky.social
The @cep-lse.bsky.social @warwickecon.bsky.social Junior Trade Workshop will take place on Sept 22 @cep-lse.bsky.social. Come meet and provide feedback to six promising JMCs! UK-based trade/urban/spatial aficionados are welcome to register here: cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/events/...
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
ahammeralex.bsky.social
I have leftover funding for a PhD student for one year (ideally Sept '25 - Sept '26). Might be a good fit for someone wanting to delay going on the market. Please send interested students my way!
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
jku-economics.bsky.social
📢 We are proud to share a new publication by Jackie Chan, @michaelirlacher.bsky.social, and @michaeljkoch.bsky.social in the 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬! 🥳

Link: direct.mit.edu/rest/article...

Also, check out the great 🧵 about the paper below 👇

#EconSky
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
I’m very happy to share our latest publication on how mergers reshape multiproduct firms—below is a short thread summarizing the key insights. Joint work with great friends and coauthors Jackie M.L. Chan and @michaeljkoch.bsky.social (@aarhusbss.bsky.social‬)
restatjournal.bsky.social
Mergers shrink product scope; acquirers focus on core goods and expand into costly export markets. Just Accepted new paper by Jackie M.L. Chan, Michael Irlacher @michaelirlacher.bsky.social and Michael Koch @michaeljkoch.bsky.social zurl.co/jz0oc
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
Read the full paper here: [https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/doi/10.1162/rest.a.255/131619/Multiproduct-Firms-Horizontal-Mergers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext]
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
7/ Bottom line: mergers between large multiproduct firms don’t just shift market shares—they reshape product portfolios, sharpen focus on core strengths, and boost international competitiveness. These within-firm reallocations matter for trade, consumer choice, and competition policy.
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
6/ To explain this, we build a model of mergers between oligopolistic multiproduct firms. It shows how mergers trigger within-firm reallocations that improve efficiency and expand international reach.
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
5/ We find: the combined domestic product range falls, sales become more concentrated on the core product, but the acquirer expands abroad—exporting more products to more, often distant, markets.
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
4/ Using Danish data on 4,500+ domestic mergers (1996–2015), we track every variety before and after the merger—both in the home market and in exports.
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
3/ Acquirers and targets in these mergers are usually multiproduct firms selling the same core product. After the deal, something striking happens: domestic product scope shrinks, and sales shift towards that shared core.
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
2/ Our question: How do horizontal mergers between multiproduct firms reshape their product mix at home and abroad, and what does this mean for export performance?
michaelirlacher.bsky.social
1/ What happens when two big multiproduct firms merge?
It’s not just about market share—it’s about what gets made, what gets dropped, and how the firm competes abroad. 📦🌍
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
petereppinger.com
Personal news: I will be joining the University of Oldenburg as a Professor of International Economics in August!

I'm deeply grateful to all those who have supported me at the University of Tübingen and beyond along the path to tenure and I'm excited for the new chapter.

Also: I am hiring...

1/2
Reposted by Michael Irlacher
yotoyotov.bsky.social
Good news on trade. Arne, Mario, Philipp and I construct a dataset on ‘trade specialists’. We find that the trade costs for the specialists are four times lower than for non-specialists. The corresponding welfare gain from globally efficient trade is 80%!
Reposted by Michael Irlacher