Dr. Shinji Kobayashi
Shinji Kobayashi is a professor at Nihon University, Japan, where he has worked since 2000. He is the author of various articles and has published a book titled Oligopoly and Conjectural Variations, which won the Japan Society of Public Utility Economics Award in 2022. He became a Professor with special appointment at Nihon University in 2020, and currently teaches graduate courses in Game Theory and Advanced Microeconomic Theory, as well as undergraduate courses in Game Theory and Mathimatics in Economics.
Why did you become a member of the International Atlantic Economic Society?
Well-organized conferences and good journals are important for us to let other researchers know the important contents of our research. In thinking about presenting scientific papers, one is naturally led to consider which conference is appropriate. Thus, I searched for suitable conferences for presenting my results. Subsequently, I decided to join IAES and to attend its conferences for presenting my papers because it organizes relatively small meetings and has journals with an
excellent reputation.
What types of projects/research are you currently working on and what inspired/motivated you to pursue these interests?
I am currently working on several issues regarding oligopolistic competition in dynamic models. I endogenously determine each player’s conjectures with respect to its rivals’ strategic actions in differential games. I also study existence and stability of equilibrium in dynamic games of differentiated product duopoly with R&D investment spillovers. These studies are motivated by the fact that oligopoly problems are important in a real world and rigorous investigations are needed.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering entering your line of work/field of study?
I would say that there are many interesting unsolved research problems in the field of oligopoly theory and industrial organization, and thus hope that you would join us for investigating rather complex problems at this fascinating area.
Going forward, what other projects/research are you planning to or hoping to pursue?
I am planning to pursue investigating an axiomatic bargaining solution that is different from the Nash bargaining solution in an important respect by discarding one of the axioms. Also, I try to examine the relationship between oligopoly and general equilibrium theory, to derive conditions under which an equilibrium exists, and to explore the welfare properties of equilibrium outcome.
What’s your favorite hobby?
Mountaineering, especially scrambling, is an exciting and refreshing activity. My favorite places are mountain ranges in Scottish Highlands and those over Zermatt in Switzerland. I occasionally play the ukulele and have two ukuleles made from beautiful Hawaiian wood (called Koa).