This paper studies an under-explored phenomenon: standardization arising during the technology development stage from the interplay of incentives to compete and cooperate. We identify circumstances in which a firm will prelaunch its technology (i.e., publish detailed technological...

This paper examines the pricing of mobile applications when application providers can either supply consumers directly or through a mobile platform (such as a smart phone or tablet). It is demonstrated that when platform access (i.e., purchasing a device) takes place in advance of application...

In this paper we present a theoretical model to study the characteristics and the commercial sustainability of dual licensing, an open source (OS) business strategy that has gained popularity among software vendors. With dual licensing, a firm releases the same software product under both a...

This paper analyses price competition between two firms producing horizontally and vertically differentiated goods. These are assumed to be credence goods, as consumers can hardly ascertain the quality of the commodities. To illustrate the model, we adapt it to represent a newspaper industry...

This paper examines the relationship between misinformation about product quality and quality standards, such as minimum quality standards (MQSs) and certification criteria, when products are vertically differentiated in terms of their health/safety aspects. We investigate the welfare effect of...

Technological change has transformed creative media industries. Digitization lowers the costs of recording, storage, reproduction and distribution, while computer-based editing facilitates quality enhancement and special effects. Digital technology has altered the distribution of sales in ways...

This paper examines emerging industries that exhibit positive network effects. We put forward a dynamic model in which two technologies compete to be the standard. The model provides a quantitative method for the valuation of firms. We use the model to examine the relationship between network...

Using a World Bank survey of Chinese firms, I construct a set of measures to capture the extent to which a firm involves outsiders in information acquisition. I find that firms that outsource more are not more likely to involve outsiders in acquiring information. Weakening contracting...

In this paper we study how the migration from an old to a new technology is affected by the access price to the old technology, when it is set after investments have taken place. We show that both the incumbent and the regulator are willing to set a very high access price to accelerate...

In a recent article in Information Economics and PolicyEconomides and Tåg (2012), analyze a theoretical model of two-sided markets designed to assess the welfare effects of net neutrality. According to the model, the only unambiguous beneficiaries of net neutrality regulation are content...