[e2e] Economics of Standards in Information Networks

[Pekka Nikander]

For those who care, there are a few relatively recently published  
books that may help the economically minded people here to better  
understand so called network externalities in the context of  
standardisation:

Tim Weitzel.  Economics of Standards in Information Networks, 2004.   
Springer, ISBN 3790800767.

Kurt. Geihs, Falk von Westarp, Wolfgang König. Networks:  
Standardization, Infraestructure And Applications, 2002.  Springer,  
ISBN 3790814490.

Falk von Westarp, Modeling Software Markets: empirical analysis,  
network simulations, and marketing implications, 2003.  Springer,  
ISBN 3790800090.

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The Wealth of Networks, by Yochak Benkler (Yale University Press,  
2006) seems to offer a liberal (but not libertarian) political  
analysis of the larger landscape (i.e. beyond standards), arguing  
rigourously for commons-based (i.e. non-market based) side of  
economics as an important factor for liberty and freedom.

[Ducking out to avoid the potential political flame war.  My  
intention is not to start flaming but allow those that care to  
educate themselves in order to avoid more of the silly, religious- 
type of argumentation.  For me, both (micro)economics and political  
science seem to be difficult enough for a typical routerhead, like me.]

--Pekka Nikander