Microstructure of Collaboration: The Network of Open Source Software

The open source model is a form of software development with source code that is typically made available to all interested parties. At the core of this process is a decentralized production process: open source software development is done by a network of unpaid software developers. Using data from Sourceforge.net, the largest repository of Open Source Software (OSS) projects and contributors on the Internet, we construct two related networks: A Project network and a Contributor network. Knowledge spillovers may be closely related to the structure of such networks, since contributors who work on several projects likely exchange information and knowledge. Defining the number of downloads as output we finds that (i) additional contributors are associated with an increase in output, but that additional contributors to projects in the giant component are associated with greater output gains than additional contributors to projects outside of the giant component; (ii) Betweenness centrality of the project is positively associated with the number of downloads. (iii) Closeness centrality of the project appears also to be positively associated with downloads, but the effect is not statistically significant over all specifications. (iv) Controlling for the correlation between these two measures of centrality (betweenness and closeness), the degree is not positively associated with the number of downloads. (v) The average closeness centrality of the contributors that participated in a project is positively correlated with the success of the project. These results suggest that there are positive spillovers of knowledge for projects occupying critical junctures in the information flow. When we define projects as connected if and only if they had at least two contributors in common, we again find that additional contributors are associated with an increase in output, and again find that this increase is much higher for projects with strong ties than other projects in the giant component

Adware, Shareware, and Consumer Privacy

Programmers can distribute new software to online users either for a fee as shareware or bundle it with advertising banners and distribute it for free as adware. In this paper we study the programmers' choice between these two modes of distribution in the context of a model that take explicit account of the strategic interaction between programmers who develop software, firms that advertise their products through ad banners, and consumers who buy software and consumer products. Adware allows advertisers to send targeted information to specific consumers and may therefore improve their purchasing decisions. At the same time, adware also raises privacy concerns. We study the effect of programmers' choice between shareware and adware on consumers' welfare through its effect on the beneficial information that consumers receive about consumers products on the one hand and their loss of privacy on the other hand. We also examine the implications of improvements in the technology of ad banners and the desirability of bans on the use of adware

The finite harmonic oscillator and its associated sequences

A system of functions (signals) on the finite line, called the oscillator system, is described and studied. Applications of this system for discrete radar and digital communication theory are explained. Keywords: Weil representation, commutative subgroups, eigenfunctions, random behavior, deterministic constructionComment: Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Communicated by Joseph Bernstein, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

The Incentive To Participate In Open Source Projects: A Signaling Approach

This paper examines the incentives of programmers to contribute to open source software projects on a voluntary basis. In particular, the paper looks at this incentive changes as (i) performance becomes more visible to the relevant audience, (ii) effort has a stronger impact on performance, and (iii) performance becomes more informative about talent. In all three cases, it is shown that whether we start from a stable interior equilibrium or an unstable interior equilibrium

Commerce international, disparites des revenues et pauvrete

Le professeur Dan Ben-David de l'Université de Tel Aviv présente un examen approfondi des liens entre le commerce, la croissance économique et la disparité des revenus entre les pays. Le professeur L. Alan Winters de l'Université du Sussex décrit les divers moyens par lesquels le commerce peut influer sur les possibilités de revenu des personnes pauvres. Cette publication contient également un aperçu non technique des deux rapports d'experts.Professor Dan Ben-David of Tel Aviv University takes an in-depth look at the linkages between trade, economic growth, and income disparity among nations. Professor L. Alan Winters of the University of Sussex discusses the various channels by which trade may affect the income opportunities of poor people. The publication also includes a non-technical overview of the two expert reports