Adoption of New Technology

The contribution of new technology to economic growth can only be realized when and if the new technology is widely diffused and used. Diffusion itself results from a series of individual decisions to begin using the new technology, decisions which are often the result of a comparison of the uncertain benefits of the new invention with the uncertain costs of adopting it. An understanding of the factors affecting this choice is essential both for economists studying the determinants of growth and for the creators and producers of such technologies. Section II of this article discusses the modeling of diffusion and Sections III to V explore the determinants of diffusion and the evidence for their importance.

Adoption of New Technology

The contribution of new technology to economic growth can only be realized when and if the new technology is widely diffused and used. Diffusion itself results from a series of individual decisions to begin using the new technology, decisions which are often the result of a comparison of the uncertain benefits of the new invention with the uncertain costs of adopting it. An understanding of the factors affecting this choice is essential both for economists studying the determinants of growth and for the creators and producers of such technologies. Section II of this article discusses the modeling of diffusion and Sections III to V explore the determinants of diffusion and the evidence for their importance.

Price dynamics and shake-outs in electronic markets

This paper presents a model that explains the recent evolution of e-commerce, where over time, prices can increase if no exit occurs, or decrease, if exit occurs. In the model there is uncertainty about the firms' costs, because the technology is new, and consumers face a switching cost, because it is easier to observe the current price of a previous supplier, than the price of other firms

Price dynamics and shake-outs in electronic markets.

This paper presents a model that explains the recent evolution of e-commerce, where over time, prices can increase if no exit occurs, or decrease, if exit occurs. In the model there is uncertainty about the firms' costs, because the technology is new, and consumers face a switching cost, because it is easier to observe the current price of a previous supplier, than the price of other firms.

PRICE DYNAMICS AND SHAKE-OUTS IN ELECTRONIC MARKETS

This paper presents a model that explains the recent evolution of e-commerce, where over time, prices can increase if no exit occurs, or decrease, if exit occurs. In the model there is uncertainty about the firms’ costs, because the technology is new, and consumers face a switching cost, because it is easier to observe the current price of a previous supplier, than the price of other firms.

Designing the payout phase of funded pension pillars in central and eastern European countries

Over the past decade or so, most Central and Eastern European countries have reformed their pension systems, significantly downsizing their public pillars and creating private pillars based on capitalization accounts. Early policy attention was focused on the accumulation phase but several countries are now reaching the stage where they need to address the design of the payout phase. This paper reviews the complex policy issues that will confront policymakers in this effort and summarizes recent plans and developments in four countries (Poland, Hungary, Estonia, and Lithuania). The paper concludes by highlighting a number of options that merit detailed consideration.Debt Markets,Pensions&Retirement Systems,Financial Literacy,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,Investment and Investment Climate

Optimal interconnection and renewable targets in North-West Europe. ESRI WP417, December 2011

This paper makes the case that modern telecommunications markets present particular challenges for competition and consumer protection policy. The analysis initially identifies four specific properties, of which rapid technological change is just one, which in combination are unique to telecommunications. The result is that consumers face an environment that is likely to foment known decision-making biases identified by behavioural economics. This insight is employed to address two issues of concern to policymakers: the generally low levels of switching between providers and the apparent failure to select optimum tariffs. Evidence suggests considerable scope for consumer detriment in both cases. Various policy implications are discussed, including the need for targeted research to more accurately assess the extent of detriment and to increase understanding of the causes of consumer behaviour

Competition in the German Broadband Access Market

This paper gives a survey of the current state of competition in the German Broadband access market. Existing regulations and their impact on the deployment of high-speed Internet access are evaluated. It is argued that facilities-based competition is preferable to open-network regulations. The most prospective candidate as an independent network capable of generating facilities-based competition in Germany is the cable-broadcasting network. The current developments in the cable industry and the expectations for its success in the short to medium term lead to the conclusion that in the short run at least, there is a need for unbundling regulation to foster competition. Improvements to the current open-network regulation-practices in Germany are suggested. --broadband access,local network competition,regulation

Trade agreements as self-protection

Risks that are associated with an uncertain trading world have been dealt with using two different techniques in the literature: defensive, or insurance approaches, and preventive, or self-protection approaches. Much of the earlier work was emphasized by security issues but with the end of the Cold War attention turned toward preventive approaches. This paper argues that the incentive for loss prevention leads to some form of cooperative regional integration. Inclusion of uncertainty positively contributes to the overall customs union literature. The optimal level of integration, political or economic, is found and then using simple comparative statics, the effects of some changes in the underlying parameters of the economy on the optimal level of integration are examined. Multilateralism and regionalism are concluded to be complements. --Self-protection,Uncertainty,Economic Integration,Multilateralism,Regionalism

Information and Communications Technology in Chronic Disease Care: Why is Adoption So Slow and Is Slower Better?

Unlike the widespread adoption of information and communications technology (ICT) in much of the economy, adoption of ICT in clinical care is limited. We examine how a number of not previously emphasized features of the health care and ICT markets interact and exacerbate each other to create barriers for adoption. We also examine how standards can address these barriers and the key issues to consider before investing in ICT. We conclude that the ICT market exhibits a number of unique features that may delay or completely prevent adoption, including low product differentiation, high switching costs, and lack of technical compatibility. These barriers are compounded by the many interlinked markets in health care, which substantially blunt the use of market forces to influence adoption. Patient heterogeneity also exacerbates the barriers by wide variation in needs and ability for using ICT, by high demands for interoperability, and by higher replacement costs. Technical standards are critical for ensuring optimal use of the technology. Careful consideration of the socially optimal time to invest is needed. The value of waiting in health care is likely to be so much greater than in other sectors because the costs of adopting the wrong type of ICT are so much higher.