Process Innovations in a Duopoly with Two Regions

We extend previous models of duopolies by introducing regions. This analysis highlights how incentives to conduct process R&D are affected by increasing regional distance, and the effect that agglomeration (in terms of population) has on two firms producing a high- and low-quality good respectively. We find that, under reasonable assumptions, an increase in transport costs (regional distance), raises the incentive to conduct process R&D for the high-quality good, while the reverse is true for the low-quality good. Transport costs generally lower production. We interpret this result to arise because the high quality good can more easily regain (some) market output, due to its high quality, which gives an impetus for process R&D. The second result is that an increase in agglomeration in the high-quality region, lowers the incentive to conduct process R&D for the high-quality good, while the opposite is true for the low-quality good. This seems consistent with a view of spatial product life-cycles where process R&D is increasingly moved to 'peripheral' regions as agglomerative tendencies continue in high-quality output regions.

On the non-linearity of the willingness to commute

Established analysis of labour market commuting are based on random choice models and gravity type models. In these models generalised transport costs are formulated as exponential or loglinear distance-dependent functions. This paper presents empirical observations that imply that time-distances influence the commuting behaviour in a non-linear way, such that the time sensitivity is much lower for very short and long distances, whereas intermediate distance display a high time sensitivity. This is explained in a model which is parametrised and estimated. The results are important for understanding and predicting commuter behaviour. It also helps to delineate space, as in classical traditions, into local, intra-regional, and extra-regional space.

Subversion Over OpenNetInf and CCNx

We describe experiences and insights from adapting the Subversion version control system to use the network service of two information-centric networking (ICN) prototypes: OpenNetInf and CCNx. The evaluation is done using a local collaboration scenario, common in our own project work where a group of people meet and share documents through a Subversion repository. The measurements show a performance benefit already with two clients in some of the studied scenarios, despite being done on un-optimised research prototypes. The conclusion is that ICN clearly is beneficial also for non mass-distribution applications. It was straightforward to adapt Subversion to fetch updated files from the repository using the ICN network service. The adaptation however neglected access control which will need a different approach in ICN than an authenticated SSL tunnel. Another insight from the experiments is that care needs to be taken when implementing the heavy ICN hash and signature calculations. In the prototypes, these are done serially, but we see an opportunity for parallelisation, making use of current multi-core processors

Experiments with Subversion Over OpenNetInf and CCNx

We describe experiences and insights from adapting the Subversion version control system to use the network service of two information-centric networking (ICN) prototypes: OpenNetInf and CCNx. The evaluation is done using a local collaboration scenario, common in our own project work where a group of people meet and share documents through a Subversion repository. The measurements show a performance benefit already with two clients in some of the studied scenarios, despite being done on un-optimised research prototypes. The conclusion is that ICN clearly is beneficial also for non mass-distribution applications

Mechanisms of Progress in Organic and Cultural Evolution

Due to the randomly changing environmental conditions in which natural selection is acting, it is hard to see how this process could give evolution the steady direction of a large-scale incessant progress. In the present article I propose a solution to this dilemma by the application of the concept of complexity as a measure of evolutionary progress, a notion that I have developed in a descriptive way in previous works. By means of the concept of complexity one can conceive of the evolutionary process as having a stable direction towards ever-increasing complexity. The explanatory mechanism behind this trend is in the present work suggested to be found in the combined actions of natural selection, competition, feedback, arms race, and sexual selection. These mechanisms are discussed at length, being applicable not only in organic evolution but in human cultural and social evolution as well

Ambient networks: Bridging heterogeneous network domains

Providing end-to-end communication in heterogeneous internetworking environments is a challenge. Two fundamental problems are bridging between different internetworking technologies and hiding of network complexity and differences from both applications and application developers. This paper presents abstraction and naming mechanisms that address these challenges in the Ambient Networks project. Connectivity abstractions hide the differences of heterogeneous internetworking technologies and enable applications to operate across them. A common naming framework enables end-to-end communication across otherwise independent internetworks and supports advanced networking capabilities, such as indirection or delegation, through dynamic bindings between named entities

Firm location, Corporate Structure, R&D Investment, Innovation and Productivity

This study elucidates the relationship between localisation of firms, corporate structure, intellectual capital and innovations.The main finding is that a greater concentration of multinational firms, human capital, T&D and universities is significantly and positive associated with research productivity. All other things equal, such as firm size, sector classification, human capital, corporate owner structure and R&D investment, the return to an invested Euro in R&D is, at the margin, greatest for firms localized to the capital of Sweden, compared to four other large regions. However, surprisingly Stockholm firms also have a lower propensity to cooperate with scientific, vertical and horisontal innovation systems. This may reflect limitations of popular survey-based information such as Community Innovation Survey data to capture spillover and the importance of informal collaborative relationships within regions.