The Dynamics of Standards

Reviews / Votes

'The economics of standards has grown from being a rather arcane speciality into a major issue in industrial economics, strategy and technology policy. This collection of empirical papers is edited by two researchers that have made important contributions to that literature. Their particular focus is on what they call "standards dynamics": what happens to standards after they have been developed. This is welcome, because that particular issue has been largely ignored in the literature so far.' -- Peter Swann, Nottingham University Business School, UK 'This book ventures into an unexplored area of standards research. Building on empirical research it addresses the lives of standards. Most standards do not remain stable after they have been established but unfold an often unexpected dynamics of change with more or less desirable consequences. Contributions to this volume - by experienced economists, social scientists, engineers and computer scientists - provide an interdisciplinary basis for understanding the cause and impact of standards dynamics. Intriguing questions and convincing responses reveal the practical and the scientific implications of change. An excellent collection of articles!' -- Raymund Werle, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies 'This is an important new book that directly addresses probably the most significant and long-standing lacuna in our understanding of standards . . . In many respects, the contributors set out a new paradigm for the investigation of standards. They open the door to new kinds of questions about the function and role of standards in rapidly changing technological and business environments and new approaches to the investigation of standardization phenomena. The scientific implications will be far reaching.' -- From the foreword by Richard Hawkins