Standards and Public Policy

Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 12/21/2006
EAN 9780521864503, ISBN10: 052186450X

Hardcover, 414 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.7 cm
Language: English

Technological standards are a cornerstone of the modern information economy, affecting firm strategy, market performance and, by extension, economic growth. While there is general agreement that swift movement to superior technological standards is a worthwhile goal, there is much less agreement on the central policy questions: do markets choose efficient standards? How do standards organizations affect the development of standards? And finally, what constitutes appropriate public policy toward standards? In this volume, leading researchers in public policy on standards, including both academics and industry experts, focus on these key questions. Given the dearth of applied work on standards and public policy, this volume significantly advances the frontier of knowledge in this critical but understudied area. It will be essential reading for academic and industrial researchers as well as policymakers.

Introduction Shane Greenstein and Victor Stango
1. Standard setting in markets
the Browser war Timothy F. Bresnahan and Pai-Ling Yin
2. Competition through institutional form
the case of cluster tool standards Richard Langlois
3. The economic realities of open standards
black, white, and many shades of gray Joel West
4. Coordination costs and standard setting
lessons from 56k modems Shane Greenstein and Marc Rysman
5. Promoting e-business through vertical IS standards
lessons from the US home mortgage industry Charles Steinfield, Rolf Wigand, M. Lynne Markus and Gabe Minton
6. Intellectual property and standardization committee participation in the US modem industry Neil Gandal, Nataly Gantman and David Genesove
7. Manipulating interface standards as an anticompetitive strategy Jeff MacKie-Mason and Janet Netz
8. Delay and de jure standardization
exploring the slowdown in internet standards development Timothy Simcoe
9. Standardization
a failing paradigm Carl Cargill and Sherrie Bolin
10. Standards battles and public policy Luis Cabral and Tobias Kretschmer
11. Switching to digital television
business and public policy issues Norbert Maier and Marco Ottaviani
12. Should competition policy favor compatibility? Joseph Farrell
Index.

'Building a better understanding of standards 'wars' is of paramount importance to policy makers and practicing managers alike. This collection of intriguing papers is simultaneously refreshingly pragmatic and academically rigorous - an unusual combination that will ensure this volume becomes a standard reference for years to come.' Rebecca Henderson, Eastman Kodak Professor of Management, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology