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Indirect Network Effects and Adoption Externalities

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Author Info
Jeffrey Church (Department of Economics, University of Calgary)
Neil Gandal (Department of Public Policy, Tel Aviv University; Centre for Economic Policy Research)
David Krause (Department of Economics, The University of Lethbridge)

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Abstract

The conventional wisdom is that indirect network effects, unlike direct network effects, do not give rise to externalities. In this paper we show that under very general conditions, indirect network effects lead to adoption externalities. In particular we show that in markets where consumption benefits arise from hardware/software systems, adoption externalities will occur when there are (i) increasing returns to scale in the production of software, (ii) free-entry in software, and (iii) consumers have a preference for software variety. The private benefit of the marginal hardware purchaser is less than the social benefit since the marginal hardware purchaser does not internalize the welfare improving response of the software industry, particularly the increase in software variety, on inframarginal purchasers when the market for hardware expands.

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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Microeconomics with number 0301001.

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Length: 26 pages
Date of creation: 13 Jan 2003
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Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpmi:0301001

Note: Type of Document - PDF; pages: 26
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Related research
Keywords: Network Externalities; Network Effects;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Joseph Farrell & Garth Saloner, 1985. "Standardization, Compatibility, and Innovation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(1), pages 70-83, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Church, Jeffrey & Gandal, Neil, 1992. "Network Effects, Software Provision, and Standardization," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(1), pages 85-103, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Jeffrey Church & Neil Gandal, 2000. "Systems Competition, Vertical Merger, and Foreclosure," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 9(1), pages 25-51, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Farrell, Joseph & Saloner, Garth, 1986. "Standardization and variety," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 71-74. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Spence, Michael, 1976. "Product Selection, Fixed Costs, and Monopolistic Competition," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(2), pages 217-35, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Liebowitz, S J & Margolis, Stephen E, 1994. "Network Externality: An Uncommon Tragedy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 133-50, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Joseph Farrell & Garth Saloner, 1985. "Installed Base and Compatibility With Implications for Product Preannouncements," Working papers 385, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
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  8. Church, Jeffrey & Gandal, Neil, 1993. "Complementary network externalities and technological adoption," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 239-260, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Carmen Matutes & Pierre Regibeau, 1988. ""Mix and Match": Product Compatibility without Network Externalities," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 19(2), pages 221-234, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Economides, Nicholas, 1996. "The economics of networks," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 673-699, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Chou, Chien-fu & Shy, Oz, 1990. "Network effects without network externalities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 259-270, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Church, J. & Gandal, N., 1992. "Integration, Complementary Products and Variety," Papers 3-92, Tel Aviv.
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  13. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1994. "Systems Competition and Network Effects," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 93-115, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1985. "Network Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(3), pages 424-40, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1986. "Technology Adoption in the Presence of Network Externalities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(4), pages 822-41, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Dixit, Avinash K & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1977. "Monopolistic Competition and Optimum Product Diversity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(3), pages 297-308, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Meijers, Huub, 2007. "ICT Externalities: Evidence from cross country data," UNU-MERIT Working Paper Series 021, United Nations University, Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology. [Downloadable!]
  2. Kevin J. Boudreau & Andrei Hagiu, 2008. "Platform Rules: Multi-Sided Platforms as Regulators," Harvard Business School Working Papers 09-061, Harvard Business School. [Downloadable!]
  3. Pollock, R., 2009. "General Network Effects and Welfare," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0915, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
  4. Andrei Hagiu, 2004. "Two-Sided Platforms: Pricing and Social Efficiency," Discussion papers 04035, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
  5. Dachrahn Wu & Ming Chang & Mei-Hua Chang, 2008. "Market coverage and “love of software variety” in the supporting services approach," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 77-86, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. María Fernanda Viecens, 2009. "Pricing strategies in two-sided platforms: The role of sellers’ competition," Working Papers 2009-11, FEDEA. [Downloadable!]
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