Itay Fainmesser, PhD

Itay Fainmesser joined Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in 2014. Professor Fainmesser studies how social networks and social media affect and are affected by market activities and market rules. His current work studies the pricing of network goods, the role of intermediaries in markets, the shape and evolution of trust networks, the market for online influence, and user privacy in online platforms. His work was published in top economics and management journals such as The Review of Economic Studies, Management Science, and The Journal of Economic Theory. He received his PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University and his BSc in Computer Science and Economics from the Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Education

• Ph. D, Business Economics, Harvard University
• MA, Economics, Harvard University
• MA, Economics, Tel Aviv University
• B.Sc, Computer Science and Economics, Tel Aviv University

Research

Selected publications

• Fainmesser, Itay P., Andrea Galeotti, and Ruslan Momot (2023). “Digital Privacy.” Management Science, 69(6): 3157–3173 (lead article). Finalist, MSOM Service SIG Best Paper Award 2023  - Featured article, The Management Science Review.  
• Fainmesser, Itay P., Elie Ofek, and Dominique Lauga (2021). “Ratings,  Reviews, and the Marketing of New Products.” Management Science 67(11): 7023-7045.  
• Fainmesser, Itay P., and Andrea Galeotti (2021). “The Market for Online Influence.” American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 13(4): 332–372.
• Fainmesser, Itay P., and Andrea Galeotti (2020). “Pricing Network Effects:  Competition.” American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 12(3): 1–32 (lead article).  
• Fainmesser, Itay P. (2019), Exclusive Intermediation in Unobservable Networks, Games and Economic Behavior, 113, 533-548.
• Fainmesser, Itay P. and David A. Goldberg (2018), Cooperation in Partly Observable Networked Markets, Games and Economic Behavior, 107, 220-237.
• Fainmesser, Itay P. and Andrea Galeotti (2016), Pricing Network Effects, Review of Economic Studies, 83 (1), 165-198.
• Fainmesser, Itay P. (2013), Social Networks and Unraveling in Labor Markets, Journal of Economic Theory, 148 (1), 64-103.

Working Papers

• Consumer Profiling via Information Design (with Andrea Galeotti and Ruslan Momot)  
• Strategic Conformity in Affiliate Marketing (with Xudong Zheng)  

Teachings

Current

• Business Microeconomics
• Competitive Strategy

In the Media

• “Can online retailers guess how much consumers are willing to pay for their  products?” Johns Hopkins Magazine, December 6, 2024   
• “What’s the best way to protect privacy in a tech-loving market?” Articles  @CareyJHU, September 26, 2024  
• “Is consumer profiling harmful for online shoppers?” Articles @CareyJHU,  July 15, 2024   
• “Can Data Privacy Be Managed Better,” Management Science Review,  November 7, 2023   
• “How Business Is Navigating Digital Privacy,” Luohan On Air (podcast),  March 23, 2022   
• “Itay Fainmesser || Digital Privacy || Luohan Academy and Princeton  University Workshop,” News11Paper, February 2, 2022  
• “How Companies Can Do Data Privacy Better,” Kellogg Insight, October 4,  2021  “고객정보 빨아들이는 기업…'데이터稅' 매겨 오남용 막아야,” MK  (Korean news outlet), August 19, 2021  
• “MIL-OSI Global: Three ways to encourage companies to keep our       data safe,” Foreign Affairs, February 26, 2021 “Three ways to encourage companies to keep our data safe,” The Conversation,  February 25, 2021  
• “How Can We Force Companies To Keep Our Data Safe?” Knowledge@HEC, December 4, 2020  “For the Public, Data Collection during COVID-19 Offers Benefits and Poses Hazards,” Tech Xplore (Science X), July 27, 2020    
• “For the Public, Data Collection during COVID-19 Offers Benefits—and  Poses Hazards,” HUB Daily, July 24, 2020   
• “For the Public, Data Collection during COVID-19 Offers Benefits—and Poses Hazards,” Newswise, July 22, 2020  
• “The Optimal Data Policy Against Malicious Use of Data,” Frontiers, March 2020  “Les influenceurs courent à leur perte selon le modèle mathématique d’un économiste,” La Réclame (French science news outlet), May 6, 2019  
• “Advertising regulations harm social media influencers, followers, and marketers alike,” HUB Daily, April 15, 2019  “Under the influence,” Changing Business Magazine, March 19, 2019   
• “How transparency is damaging social media marketing,” London Business School Review, November 20, 2018

Honors & Distinctions

• Johns Hopkins Discovery Award, The Johns Hopkins University, “Patient- Centered Biospecimen Market Design: Unlocking the Potential of Biobanking to Drive Discovery and Precision Medicine” -- Joint with Mario Macis (Business), Itay Fainmesser (Business), Marielle Gross (Berman), Clayton Yates (Medicine), Olivia Kates (Medicine), Brandi Scully (Medicine), Idris Leppla (Medicine) & Vivian Altiery De Jesus (Medicine), 2025-2027  
• SNF Agora Institute Faculty Grant, The Johns Hopkins University, “Polarization in the Age of AI and the Post-Truth Era” -- joint with Jessie Liu and Chen Cheng, 2024-2025 Finalist, MSOM Service SIG Best Paper Award 2023, “Digital Privacy”   
• SNF Agora Institute Faculty Grant, The Johns Hopkins University, “Data, Markets, and Privacy: Regulating Democratized Information,” 2022-2023   Research Accelerator Grant, The Johns Hopkins University, $30,000, 2022-      2023