Dr. Francine Lafontaine

Biography

Francine Lafontaine is a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School and holds the William Davidson Professorship in Business Economics and Public Policy at the Ross School of Business. Her academic research primarily focuses on industrial organization and organizational economics, specifically addressing interfirm contracting, vertical integration decisions, and contractual arrangements in procurement and distribution, all within the context of competition policy and antitrust issues. She studies the impact of contracting practices on firm performance and examines challenges related to business creation and sustainability, particularly in small-scale service industries. Lafontaine has held several administrative roles at the Ross School, including interim dean, associate dean for Business+Impact, and senior associate dean for Faculty Research. Additionally, she has served as the director of the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission and has been president of both the Society for Industrial Organization and the Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics. She holds an honorary doctorate from Université de Rennes in Brittany, France, and has been a research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London.

Research Interests