Meet NHH’s New Vice Rectors
Katrine V. Løken (42), Steffen Juranek (43), and Kurt R. Brekke (56) have been appointed as new vice rectors at NHH. ` A young and dynamic dream team´, says incoming rector Helge Thorbjørnsen.
Professor, Head of Department Kurt Richard Brekke
- Kurt.Brekke@nhh.no
- Telephone
- +47 55 95 94 07
- Department
- Economics
- Centre
- CBE NoCeT
- Office
- E256
- Expertise
- Competition Economics Industrial Organization Tax and Public Economics Health Economics
BIOGRAPHY
Kurt R. Brekke is a Professor at the Department of Economics at NHH Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, Norway (since 2009). He is currently Head of the Department of Economics at NHH from 2021 to 2025.
Brekke was chief economist at the Norwegian Competition Authority from 2016 to 2020. He has also been head of the Centre for Business Economics (2020-21), the IO & competition policy program at SNF (2014-16), and the Bergen Centre for Competition Law and Economics (2014-16). He is a research fellow at CESifo and BECCLE. He has also been associate editor for the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (2011-6) and member of the Governmental Committee on National Public Procurement Regulation (2012-2014).
His main research field is industrial organization with a focus on competition and regulation policy, especially in healthcare and pharmaceutical markets. He has published extensively in international journals, including Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, European Economic Review, and has written several book chapters.
Brekke received a PhD in Economics from the University of Bergen in 2004.
Selected publications
| Author(s) | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Brekke, Kurt Richard; Holmås, Tor Helge; Monstad, Karin; Straume, Odd Rune | Do treatment decisions depend on physicians' financial incentives? | Journal of Public Economics Volume 155; page 74 - 92; 2017 |
| Brekke, Kurt Richard; Pires, Armando; Schindler, Dirk; Schjelderup, Guttorm | Capital taxation and imperfect competition: ACE vs. CBIT | Journal of Public Economics Volume 147; page 1 - 15; 2017 |
| Brekke, Kurt Richard; Siciliani, Luigi; Straume, Odd Rune | Hospital Mergers with Regulated Prices | The Scandinavian Journal of Economics Volume 119 (3); page 597 - 627; 2017 |
| Brekke, Kurt; Holmås, Tor Helge; Straume, Odd Rune | Margins and market shares: Pharmacy incentives for generic substitution | European Economic Review Volume 61; page 116 - 131; 2013 |
| Brekke, Kurt; Holmås, Tor Helge; Straume, Odd Rune | Reference pricing, competition, and pharmaceutical expenditures: theory and evidence from a natural experiment | Journal of Public Economics Volume 95 (7-8); page 624 - 638; 2011 |
| Brekke, Kurt; Siciliani, Luigi; Straume, Odd Rune | Hospital Competition and Quality with Regulated Prices | The Scandinavian Journal of Economics Volume 113 (2); page 444 - 469; 2011 |
| Brekke, Kurt R.; Nuscheler, Robert; Straume, Odd Rune | Quality and location choices under price regulation | Journal of Economics and Management Strategy Volume 15 (1); page 207 - 227; 2006 |
| Brekke, Kurt R.; Kuhn, Michael | Direct to consumer advertising in pharmaceutical markets | Journal of Health Economics Volume 25 (1); page 102 - 130; 2006 |
Research in progress
- "Hospital competition in the National Health Service: Evidence from a patient choice reform" (with C Canta, L Siciliani and OR Straume) Revise and resubmit in Journal of Health Economics
- "Does reference pricing drive out generic competition in pharmaceutical markets? Evidence from a policy reform" (with C Canta and OR Straume)
- “How to pay for drugs?” (with DM Dalen og OR Straume)
Published Work
TEACHING AREAS
Competition Analysis, Industrial organisation
Dissemination
Social Inequality in Dental Health: What Are the Solutions?
Ten percent of the Norwegian population does not visit the dentist, often due to financial constraints. Today, the Dental Health Committee will present its NOU, which highlights potential solutions.
Setting the course for priorities in healthcare
How to provide a good and fair healthcare service within the resources available to Norway? The expert group, with Professor Kurt Brekke as a member, has assessed the consequences of increased transparency about the Norwegian government's willingness to pay.
New article by Brekke, Pires, Schindler and Schjelderup
The article "Capital taxation and imperfect competition: ACE vs. CBIT" has been accepted for publication in Journal of Public Economics.
Giant hospitals neither cheaper nor better
Resource-intensive mergers in the hospital sector are based on a desire for better and cheaper hospitals, but when the positive effects cannot be documented, it is about time we showed less enthusiasm for such mergers, according to NHH professor Kurt R Brekke.
No price competition in pharmaceuticals
The law regulating pharmacies should secure users cheaper medicines. However, the market is controlled by three dominant pharmacy chains, leading to restricted competition and preventing prices from falling.
Brekke, K. R. & Straume, O. R. (2020, 9. august). Netflix-prising av legemidler kan ha birivkninger, Dagens Næringsliv.
Brekke, K. R. & Straume, O. R. (2020, 5. august). Netflix-metoden er neppe rett medisin, Dagens Næringsliv.
Svendsen, S. A. & Brekke, K. R. (2020, 8. juli). Ikke sett konkurransen på spill, Dagens Næringsliv.
Brekke, K. R. (2020, 28. januar). Vi har ikke amerikanske "monopoltendenser" i norsk økonomi, Dagens Næringsliv.
Høiland, J. K. & Brekke, K. R. (2020, 23. januar). Feil behandling av legemiddelmangel, Dagens Medisin.
Brekke, K. R. (2019, 6. desember). Vi trenger flere leger, ikke dyrere leger, Dagens Næringsliv.
Brekke, K. R. (2019, 23. januar). Fastleger på fastlønn er neppe løsningen, Dagens Næringsliv.
Brekke, K. R. (2018, 20. oktober) Vi får mer medisin for pengene, Bergens Tidende.
Brekke, K. R. & Reiso, K. (2018, 29. juli). Roboter, pris og fremtidens kartell, Dagens Næringsliv.
Brekke, K. R. (2017, 4. mars). Gigantkonsern er feil medisin, Dagens Næringsliv