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Handbook on the Economics of the Internet
As the single most important general purpose technology of recent times, the Internet is transforming the organization, competitive structure and business models of the private, the public and non-profit sectors. In 27 original chapters, leading authors discuss theoretical and applied frameworks for the study of the economics of the Internet and its unique economics as a global information and communications infrastructure. They also examine the effects of the Internet on economic transactions (including social production, advertising, innovation, and intellectual property rights), the economics and management of Internet-based industries (including search, news, entertainment, culture, and virtual worlds), and the effects of the Internet on the economy at large.
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Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
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The Internet is connecting an increasing number of individuals, organizations, and devices into global networks of information flows. It is accelerating the dynamics of innovation in the digital economy, affecting the nature and intensity of competition, and enabling private companies, governments, and the non-profit sector to develop new business models. In this new ecosystem many of the theoretical assumptions and historical observations upon which economics rests are altered and need critical reassessment.
This Handbook brings together twenty-seven original chapters that discuss theoretical and applied frameworks for the study of the economics of the Internet, encompassing:
• its unique economics as a global information and communications infrastructure
• the effects of the Internet on economic transactions, including social production, advertising, innovation, and intellectual property rights
• the economics and management of Internet-based industries, such as search, news, entertainment, culture, and virtual worlds
• the effects of the Internet on the economy at large
Interdisciplinary in its approach, the Handbook synthesizes the state of knowledge and offers new perspectives for researchers, practitioners, and students.
This Handbook brings together twenty-seven original chapters that discuss theoretical and applied frameworks for the study of the economics of the Internet, encompassing:
• its unique economics as a global information and communications infrastructure
• the effects of the Internet on economic transactions, including social production, advertising, innovation, and intellectual property rights
• the economics and management of Internet-based industries, such as search, news, entertainment, culture, and virtual worlds
• the effects of the Internet on the economy at large
Interdisciplinary in its approach, the Handbook synthesizes the state of knowledge and offers new perspectives for researchers, practitioners, and students.
Critical Acclaim
‘The Handbook provides an outstanding insight on understanding all kinds of businesses carrying over the information super-highway called the Internet. . . . The book brings together much-admired pieces of literature to understand the dynamics of the Internet economy. The book will also help the emerging nations in streamlining their e-business policies and business communication strategies for their micro, small, and medium enterprises. This book is recommended to scholars and practitioners engaged in research on economic processes of global Internet-enabled businesses.’
– Science & Public Policy
‘Internet development dynamics are tackled in this Handbook by leading scholars representing mainstream, institutional, evolutionary economics, and political economy perspectives. They show how complex markets for digital technologies and services are evolving. Crucially, they demonstrate why conventional analytical tool kits need to be extended by bridging disciplinary boundaries. This volume offers significant advances in the analysis of technological and institutional change and demonstrates how important it is to acknowledge conflict resolution and tradeoffs as essential aspects of the Internet’s history and its future.’
– Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
''The Internet has transformed many fundamental economic facts of life and business, but it is challenging to catalog them all. This topic deserves a comprehensive handbook, and the editors have delivered. The chapters are engaging and lucid, and cover a wide range of topics. The editors were not shy about spanning boundaries between technical detail, economic analysis, and policy relevance. This is a great resource for any modern scholar of the Internet.''
– Shane Greenstein, Harvard Business School, US
‘This Handbook has the laudable aim of providing an original map of research in the Internet Economics field. It succeeds in this thanks to the editors’ inclusion of theoretical perspectives ranging from the mainstream to institutional and evolutionary economic theory, complex adaptive systems theory, and critical political economy. . . Readers will gain insight into the limitations of the questions that are asked within different economic traditions, but importantly, also into what can be revealed by these theories and empirical methods. Media and communication scholars, not just those with an interest in media economics, will come away from engagement with this handbook with a good understanding of the assumptions underpinning the contributions economists are making to contemporary debate about the consequences of the continuous evolution of digitally mediated markets.’
– European Journal of Communication
– Science & Public Policy
‘Internet development dynamics are tackled in this Handbook by leading scholars representing mainstream, institutional, evolutionary economics, and political economy perspectives. They show how complex markets for digital technologies and services are evolving. Crucially, they demonstrate why conventional analytical tool kits need to be extended by bridging disciplinary boundaries. This volume offers significant advances in the analysis of technological and institutional change and demonstrates how important it is to acknowledge conflict resolution and tradeoffs as essential aspects of the Internet’s history and its future.’
– Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
''The Internet has transformed many fundamental economic facts of life and business, but it is challenging to catalog them all. This topic deserves a comprehensive handbook, and the editors have delivered. The chapters are engaging and lucid, and cover a wide range of topics. The editors were not shy about spanning boundaries between technical detail, economic analysis, and policy relevance. This is a great resource for any modern scholar of the Internet.''
– Shane Greenstein, Harvard Business School, US
‘This Handbook has the laudable aim of providing an original map of research in the Internet Economics field. It succeeds in this thanks to the editors’ inclusion of theoretical perspectives ranging from the mainstream to institutional and evolutionary economic theory, complex adaptive systems theory, and critical political economy. . . Readers will gain insight into the limitations of the questions that are asked within different economic traditions, but importantly, also into what can be revealed by these theories and empirical methods. Media and communication scholars, not just those with an interest in media economics, will come away from engagement with this handbook with a good understanding of the assumptions underpinning the contributions economists are making to contemporary debate about the consequences of the continuous evolution of digitally mediated markets.’
– European Journal of Communication
Contributors
Contributors: S. Aggarwal, C. Antonelli, H. Asghari, J.M. Bauer, S. Bauer, Y. Benkler, S.M. Besen, I. Brown, E. Castronova, D.D. Clark, C. Corrado, C. Feijóo, D.L. Garcia, J.-L. Gómez-Barroso, C. Handke, J. Haucap, K. Hollnbuchner, N. Just, G. Knieps, I. Knowles, J.J. Kranz, L. Küng, M. Latzer, W.H. Lehr, Y.-L. Liu, W. Ma, P. Mazepa, V. Mosco, N. Newman, E.M. Noam, P.P. Patrucco, R.G. Picard, A. Picot, G. Sadowsky, F. Saurwein, V. Schneider, S.J. Schultze, R. Sherman, P. Stepan, T. Stühmeier, R. Towse, B. Van Ark, M. Van Eeten, B. Van Schewick, H.R. Varian, D. Waterman, R.S. Whitt, S.S. Wildman, S. Wunsch-Vincent
Contents
Contents:
Preface
1. The Economics of the Internet: An Overview
Johannes M. Bauer and Michael Latzer
PART II THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
2. The Industrial Organization of the Internet
Günter Knieps and Johannes M. Bauer
3. The Internet as a Complex Layered System
Stephen J. Schultze and Richard S. Whitt
4. A Network Science Approach to the Internet
Volker Schneider and Johannes M. Bauer
5. Peer Production and Cooperation
Yochai Benkler
6. The Internet and Productivity
Carol Corrado and Bart Van Ark
7. Cultural Economics and the Internet
Christian Handke, Paul Stepan and Ruth Towse
8. A Political Economy Approach to the Internet
Patricia Mazepa and Vincent Mosco
PART II INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND INTERNET ARCHITECTURE
9. Competition and Antitrust in Internet Markets
Justus Haucap and Torben Stühmeier
10. The Economics of Internet Standards
Stanley M. Besen and George Sadowsky
11. The Economics of Copyright and the Internet
Sacha Wunsch-Vincent
12. The Economics of Privacy, Data Protection and Surveillance
Ian Brown
13. Economics of Cybersecurity
Hadi Asghari, Michel Van Eeten and Johannes M. Bauer
14. Internet Architecture and Innovation in Applications
Barbara Van Schewick
15. Organizational Innovations, ICTs and Knowledge Governance: The Case of Platforms
Cristiano Antonelli and Pier Paolo Patrucco
16. Interconnection in the Internet: Peering, Interoperability and Content Delivery
David D. Clark, William H. Lehr and Steven Bauer
PART III ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES
17. Internet Business Strategies
Johann J. Kranz and Arnold Picot
18. The Economics of Internet Search
Hal R. Varian
19. The Economics of Algorithmic Selection on the Internet
Michael Latzer, Katharina Hollnbuchner, Natascha Just and Florian Saurwein
20. Online Advertising Economics
Wenjuan Ma and Steven S. Wildman
21. Online News
Lucy Küng, Nic Newman and Robert G. Picard
22. The Economics of Online Video Entertainment
Ryland Sherman and David Waterman
23. Business Strategies and Revenue Models for Converged Video Services
Yu-Li Liu
24. The Economics of Virtual Worlds
Isaac Knowles and Edward Castronova
25. Economics of Big Data
Claudio Feijóo, José-Luis Gómez-Barroso and Shivom Aggarwal
PART IV PAST AND FUTURE TRAJECTORIES
26. The Evolution of the Internet: A Socioeconomic Account
D. Linda Garcia
27. From the Internet of Science to the Internet of Entertainment
Eli M. Noam
Index
Preface
1. The Economics of the Internet: An Overview
Johannes M. Bauer and Michael Latzer
PART II THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
2. The Industrial Organization of the Internet
Günter Knieps and Johannes M. Bauer
3. The Internet as a Complex Layered System
Stephen J. Schultze and Richard S. Whitt
4. A Network Science Approach to the Internet
Volker Schneider and Johannes M. Bauer
5. Peer Production and Cooperation
Yochai Benkler
6. The Internet and Productivity
Carol Corrado and Bart Van Ark
7. Cultural Economics and the Internet
Christian Handke, Paul Stepan and Ruth Towse
8. A Political Economy Approach to the Internet
Patricia Mazepa and Vincent Mosco
PART II INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND INTERNET ARCHITECTURE
9. Competition and Antitrust in Internet Markets
Justus Haucap and Torben Stühmeier
10. The Economics of Internet Standards
Stanley M. Besen and George Sadowsky
11. The Economics of Copyright and the Internet
Sacha Wunsch-Vincent
12. The Economics of Privacy, Data Protection and Surveillance
Ian Brown
13. Economics of Cybersecurity
Hadi Asghari, Michel Van Eeten and Johannes M. Bauer
14. Internet Architecture and Innovation in Applications
Barbara Van Schewick
15. Organizational Innovations, ICTs and Knowledge Governance: The Case of Platforms
Cristiano Antonelli and Pier Paolo Patrucco
16. Interconnection in the Internet: Peering, Interoperability and Content Delivery
David D. Clark, William H. Lehr and Steven Bauer
PART III ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT OF APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES
17. Internet Business Strategies
Johann J. Kranz and Arnold Picot
18. The Economics of Internet Search
Hal R. Varian
19. The Economics of Algorithmic Selection on the Internet
Michael Latzer, Katharina Hollnbuchner, Natascha Just and Florian Saurwein
20. Online Advertising Economics
Wenjuan Ma and Steven S. Wildman
21. Online News
Lucy Küng, Nic Newman and Robert G. Picard
22. The Economics of Online Video Entertainment
Ryland Sherman and David Waterman
23. Business Strategies and Revenue Models for Converged Video Services
Yu-Li Liu
24. The Economics of Virtual Worlds
Isaac Knowles and Edward Castronova
25. Economics of Big Data
Claudio Feijóo, José-Luis Gómez-Barroso and Shivom Aggarwal
PART IV PAST AND FUTURE TRAJECTORIES
26. The Evolution of the Internet: A Socioeconomic Account
D. Linda Garcia
27. From the Internet of Science to the Internet of Entertainment
Eli M. Noam
Index
