Luca, Michael2017-01-232017-01-23Luca, Michael. "Designing Online Marketplaces: Trust and Reputation Mechanisms." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-017, September 2016.http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:30013609Online marketplaces have proliferated over the past decade, creating new markets where none existed. By reducing transaction costs, online marketplaces facilitate transactions that otherwise would not have occurred and enable easier entry of small sellers. One central challenge faced by designers of online marketplaces is how to build enough trust to facilitate transactions between strangers. This paper provides an economist’s toolkit for designing online marketplaces, focusing on trust and reputation mechanisms.en-USResearch Paper or Report2017-01-23