Here are the recent columns, grouped together by topic.
Internet Economics |
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October, 2009 |
A Network of Platforms | Is the Internet a network of networks? No, it should be called a network of platforms. That reflects how it has evolved since commercialization. |
August, 2009 |
There is no escaping the poetry of our age. Information technology has become so ubiquitious that it has changed many social patterns of behavior. | |
February, 2009 |
How will we recognize symptoms of health in an innovative industry when we see them? | |
October, 2008 |
I have grown tired of reading techological nightmares of how the Internet will fall apart. What would a nightmare look like if it had economic roots? | |
October, 2007 |
If the benefits from converting to broadband were properly measured, what would be the implied growth rate of the Internet access market? | |
June, 2007 |
The official price index for Internet access did not change for eight years and then it dropped dramatically. Why did the price of the Internet drop suddenly? | |
April, 2007 |
The economics of Wikipedia presents many challenges. In Internet lingo, it has a long tail. Where does it come from and what can we say about that tail? | |
Communications policy |
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October, 2009 |
Google spends lavishly on Google Books and many other advernturist projects. It might or might not be a waste of money. Is that a problem? | |
June, 2009 |
It happened behind the scences, but it has been very signficiant. Today much spectrum is allocated through market mechanisms. | |
April, 2009 |
A small portion of the stimulus bill, $7.2B, went to broadband. What was the justification? What were some of the issues with this allocation? | |
August, 2007 |
There are two ways to estimate the contribution of a new good to the economy. What are the estimates for broadband? | |
December, 2006 |
Plain language about the economic content inside this populists debate. Is there any substance? A look at the four nightmares of net neutrality. | |
Considering topical questions |
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December, 2008 |
As the financial panic brings about a general downturn, what are the basicpredictions for the next year? | |
August, 2008 |
Trying to vote for the presidential candidate who supports high tech? Good luck. Why high tech depends on the election, but nobody votes on that basis. | |
August, 2006 |
How much can a new Federal law do to help entreprenuership? Recent experience suggests it is easier for new laws to hurt than help, even when they are well-meaning. | |
April, 2005 |
Do mergers in telecommunications bode a decline in introduction of new services from firms taking contrarian positions? | |
December, 2005 |
It is a common assertion, but how close are we? Closer than one might think, but still also a bit far away. | |
Bill Gates' Retirement |
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February/March and April/May 2008 |
As Bill Gates prepares to retire, it is time to ask the big historical question: Did Bill Gates make his wealth through fair means or foul? A look back at his thirty year managerial career with both high praise and harshness. A two part series (There is a lot to say). | |
Capturing and Creating Value |
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November, 2007 |
Much innovative development occurs at the periphery, not the core. What does that look like and why? One way to interpret the economics of the edge. | |
April, 2006 |
What does Intel's pricing of microprocessors tell us? About only changes in supply conditions or about changes in demand conditions? | |
October, 2005 |
For many years firms exporting to the US would climb a value chain through one type of strategy. Today's firms are trying another. | |
June, 2004 |
Innovation invites imitation. Innovation is more lucrative without imitation. How firms on both sides of this fault line think about the situation. | |
April, 2004 |
Margins decline when a product has many substitutes. What firms do to resist this force in innovative markets. | |
Managerial Challenges in Evolving Markets |
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February, 2007 |
Managers initiate experiments and learn lessons from the results. As lessons spread their unique value declines, but they become part of the accumulated lessons of the industry, seeding more innovation. How does this work? | |
June, 2005 |
Managing multiple viewpoints in uncertain environments is a fundamental challenge for managers in high tech markets. Received many comments on it. Many readers liked this one. | |
February, 2005 |
Different viewpoints about what it means for an industry to "mature". Does it mean more consolidation or less? | |
October, 2004 |
Deconstructing the two most common approaches to understanding "creative destruction" of existing firms. A personal favorite. | |
Conundrums in Technical Progress and Economic Growth |
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October, 2006 |
How do new technologies becomes pervasive? Everyone knows this process causes economic growth? But how? A look at diffusion of products and services that eventually become ubiquitous. | |
August, 2004 |
A diamond holds its market value over time, but most consumer electronics products do not. Why do things made on silicon wafers fail to hold their value? | |
February, 2004 |
It is a cliche' that modern inventors seek fame and fortune. The reality of modern markets suggests that fame does not come easily. Why is that? A quirky topic but a personal favorite. | |
August, 2003 |
Modern market watchers take for granted improvements in electronics, as represented by Moore's law. Why do such improvements lead to economic growth? More pointed, why has it helped stave off the Malthusian trap? An remark on the 200 year anniversary of Malthus' essay. A personal favorite. | |
Signposts and Milestones in Evolving Markets |
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June, 2006 |
This common cliche' contains a grain of truth. Variety has many benefits. Yet, markets cannot support an infinite amount. | |
February, 2006 |
Events from the past several decades cast a shadow on the most recent format war in storage media. | |
August, 2005 |
Firms play different roles at different stages in a new markets evolution. Sometimes it is the same firm; sometimes it involves different firms. | |
December, 2004 |
When are the most common metaphors for technological forecasting very useful? The benefits and limits are illustrated on the early MP3 Market. A personal favorite. This was fun to write. | |
June, 2003 |
The future is hard to forecast for many reasons. This essay suggests that human fraility does not get enough credit for making events unpredictable. | |
Book Review
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October, 2003 |
A review of Geoff Rohlfs' book. |
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Last updated 12/22/06