Robert Clark

Professor and Stephen J.R. Smith Chair in Economic Policy,
Queen’s University at Kingston

For more information, contact:

  • Vivek Mani
  • Darwin V. Neher
  • Rainer Schwabe

or any member of our senior staff.

Education

    • University of Western Ontario, Ph.D.
    • University of Western Ontario, M.A.
    • University of Toronto, H.B.Sc. (high distinction)

Robert Clark is an expert in antitrust, competition, and the industrial organization of financial markets. Professor Clark specializes in the study and analysis of cartels, including issues related to allegations of collusion, hub-and-spoke conspiracies, bid rigging, entry deterrence, and complementary bidding. He has also analyzed algorithmic pricing and the possibility of algorithmic collusion. Professor Clark has consulted and filed expert reports on multiple matters in Canadian courts.

Professor Clark researches competition topics across a range of industries, including advertising, airlines, banking, energy, finance, and pharmaceuticals. He has studied the impact of horizontal mergers on negotiated prices for mortgages. His work has also addressed issues of market power and oligopoly, notably in banking networks and deposit and loan markets.

Professor Clark has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Political Economy, the RAND Journal of Economics, the Journal of Industrial Economics, and the Review of Finance. His coauthored article, “Resolving Failed Banks: Uncertainty, Multiple Bidding, and Auction Design,” was named best paper in regulatory economics at the 2020 International Industrial Organization Conference. Professor Clark also received a best paper award from the Association of Competition Economics for his work on the effect of mergers in search markets. He is coauthor of the chapter, “The Industrial Organization of Financial Markets,” in the 2021 edition (volume 5) of the Handbook of Industrial Organization.

A frequent speaker at international conferences and professional meetings, Professor Clark also presents on competition and industrial organization topics at leading universities and to government agencies in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

At Queen’s University, Professor Clark teaches courses on industrial organization and empirical methods. He has been honored with several awards for excellence in teaching and research.

  • “Are We There Yet? Assessing the Efficacy of Our New Toolbox,” Canadian Bar Association Competition Law Fall Conference, 26 October 2023
  • “Algorithmic Collusion: The Future of Enforcement,” American Bar Association’s 71st Antitrust Spring Meeting, 30 March 2023
  • “Competition in Traditional Banking Services: Evolving Market Definition, Network Effects, and Two-Sided Markets,” Antitrust in the Financial Sector, 6th Annual Conference: Hot Issues & Global Perspectives, Concurrences Review, 12 April 2022