Standards and Public Policy

In this volume, leading researchers focus on applied questions at the forefront of standards policy.

Shane Greenstein (Edited by), Victor Stango (Edited by)

9781107404908, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 July 2012

414 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.55 kg

'… a good overview of the current research on standardization. It discusses the main gaps in the literature and brings some pertinent answers. … the book succeeds in describing the dynamic evolution of standardization processes over the years and in indicating determining success factors. As such it makes the book pertinent to scholars interested in standardization.' Competition and Regulation in Network Industries

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.

Subject Areas: Microeconomics [KCC]