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Economics

Developing sophisticated approaches and systems to deliver the broadest selection of products and services at the lowest prices.

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  • Francesco Furno, Domenico Giannone
    IAAE 2023, Research Methods and Applications on Macroeconomic Forecasting
    2024
    We propose a simple yet robust framework to nowcast recession risk at a monthly frequency in both the United States and the Euro Area. Our nowcast leverages both macroeconomic and financial conditions, and is available the first business day after the reference month closes. In particular, we argue that financial conditions are not only useful to predict future downturns–as emphasized by the existing literature–but
  • Yao Zhao, Kwang-Sung Jun, Bibek Adhikari, Tanner Fiez, Lalit Jain
    2023 Conference on Digital Experimentation @ MIT (CODE@MIT)
    2023
    In this study, we aim to present an effective methodology tailored for companies interested in implement-ing adaptive experimentation in scenarios characterized by potential selection biases or endogeneity. To illustrate our approach, we begin by delving into the realm of online experimentation. Online platforms routinely conduct thousands of A/B tests annually to gain insights into the impact of user-facing
  • 2023 Conference on Digital Experimentation @ MIT (CODE@MIT)
    2023
    Online A/B tests have become an indispensable tool across all the technology industry: if performed correctly, “online” experiments can inform effective decision making and product development. It should therefore not be surprising that Gupta et al. [2019] estimates that online businesses alone collectively run hundreds of thousands of experiments annually. Modern online experiments are often run in marketplaces
  • 2023 Conference on Digital Experimentation @ MIT (CODE@MIT)
    2023
    Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) are widely used across Amazon to causally estimate impacts of proposed feature changes, in order to make data-driven launch decisions. A key element of experimental design is the level of randomization, and the choice often relies on the cross-unit interaction structure. For instance, in the context of advertiser experiments, a treatment may affect the outcome of control
  • 2023 Conference on Digital Experimentation @ MIT (CODE@MIT)
    2023
    There are many experimental settings that may suffer from cross-unit (customers, seller, advertiser, etc.) spillovers, for instance through network effects. Such effects introduce bias and prevent the experimenter from drawing trustworthy insights on the data. One approach to dealing with such spillovers is to group units into clusters and randomize treatment status at the cluster level. Examples of clusters

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Device Economics is looking for an economist experienced in causal inference, empirical industrial organization, forecasting, and scaled systems to work on business problems to advance critical resource allocation and pricing decisions in the Amazon Devices org. Output will be included in scaled systems to automate existing processes and to maximize business and customer objectives. Amazon Devices designs and builds Amazon first-party consumer electronics products to delight and engage customers. Amazon Devices represents a highly complex space with 100+ products across several product categories (e-readers [Kindle], tablets [Fire Tablets], smart speakers and audio assistants [Echo], wifi routers [eero], and video doorbells and cameras [Ring and Blink]), for sale both online and in offline retailers in several regions. The space becomes more complex with dynamic product offering with new product launches and new marketplace launches. The Device Economics team leads in analyzing these complex marketplace dynamics to enable science-driven decision making in the Devices org. Device Economics achieves this by combining economic expertise with macroeconomic trends, and including both in scientific applications for use by internal analysts, to provide deep understanding of customer preferences. Our team’s outputs inform product development decisions, investments in future product categories, product pricing and promotion, and bundling across complementary product lines. We have achieved substantial impact on the Devices business, and will achieve more. Device Economics seeks an economist adept in measuring customer preferences and behaviors with proven capacity to innovate, scale measurement, and drive rigor. The candidate must be passionate about advancing science for business and customer impact.