Economics of Organizations: My interest for organizations comes out of dissatisfaction with the standard representation of firms and markets (my initial research was on Cournot’s models) and of my discovery of Williamson’s contribution. Digging into the internal properties of organizations remains a key element of my research program.

Economics of infrastructure: Thanks to Douglass North, who introduced me to Mary Shirley who was then a senior economist at the World Bank (she is now the President of the Ronald Coase Institute, and I am a member of the Board), I have been involved since the mid-1990s in the economics of infrastructures. More specifically I have developed a strong interest for the reform of public utilities, particularly urban water systems in developing countries. I have progressively diversified my portfolio to include public transportation, postal services, and railways, mainly in cooperation with young researchers and colleagues from different institutions.

Interfirm agreements and non-standard modes of organization: I have had a long standing interest for arrangements that Williamson tagged as ‘hybrids’. Beside theoretical contributions, in which I have mainly focused on issues of governance, I have worked on specific sectors, particularly the agrifood industry and I have been and remains involved in several international research program on these issues.

Interaction between institutions and modes of organization: The deep movements towards the reform of public utilities and the problems that can emerge from unfitted institutions have rapidly attracted my attention. I have invested increasingly in the analysis of the impact of institutions, particularly regulation, on alternative modes of organization, on their performance, and on the trade-off between these modes. My recent research focuses on the role of micro-institutions in shaping and implementing reforms of public