News

Professor Rahul Deb wins Polanyi Prize
Rahul Deb, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at UTM,
has won the 2014 Polanyi Prize in Economics. Rahul was recognized for
developing a theory that is used to determine whether firms involved in
competitive bids for business are genuinely competing, or whether they are
secretly colluding. This theory will allow market regulators to assess
competition or collusion by observing a firm’s strategic behaviour over
time. Rahul’s research also outlines a model that allows governments to
choose an alternate bidder if there is a distinct social benefit to doing
so. Ontarians will benefit greatly from this fair-competition approach to
business in support of the province’s competitive economy.

The Polanyi Prizes were created by the Government of Ontario to celebrate
U of T chemistry professor John Polanyi’s 1986 Nobel Prize. The areas of
research they recognize mirror those of the Nobel Prizes. Winners –
post-doctoral researchers in the early stages of their careers – are
awarded $20,000 by the Ontario government.