Publisher Description

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.

Author Biography

Shane Greenstein is the Elinor and Wendell Hobbs Professor of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Victor Stango is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Table of Contents

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.

Review

'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

Promotional

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

Review Quote

"Standards are playing an increasingly critical role in shaping high-technology industries around the globe. But our understanding of the nature and effectiveness of the standardization process, and the proper public policies in regard to standards, remain at a quite early stage. This volume will play an important role in addressing this gap, drawing together a variety of thoughtful, contemporary research into these critical questions." - Josh Lerner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking, Harvard Business School

Promotional "Headline"

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

Description for Bookstore

Despite general agreement that technological standards are important, there is much less agreement on the central policy questions, such as whether markets choose the best standards, and what constitutes appropriate public policy toward standards. In this volume, leading researchers in the field focus on these key questions.

Description for Library

Despite general agreement that technological standards are important, there is much less agreement on the central policy questions, such as whether markets choose the best standards, and what constitutes appropriate public policy toward standards. In this volume, leading researchers in the field focus on these key questions.

Details