Firm Capabilities, Competition and Industrial Policies in a History-Friendly Model of the Computer Industry

In this paper, we explore some problems that industrial policy faces in industries characterized by dynamic increasing returns on the basis of a 'history friendly model' of the evolution of the computer industry. How does policy affect industry structure over the course of industry evolution? Is the timing of the intervention important? Do policy interventions have indirect and perhaps unintended consequences on different markets at different times? We focus on two sets of policies: antitrust and interventions aiming at supporting the entry of new forms in the industry. The results of our simulations show that, if strong dynamic increasing returns are operative, both through technological capabilities and through customer tendency to stick with a brand, there is little that antitrust and entry policy could have done to avert the rise of a dominant firm in mainframes. On the other hand, if the customer lock in effect had been smaller, either by chance or through policies that discouraged efforts of firms to lock in their customers, the situation might have been somewhat different. In the first place, even in the absence of antitrust or entry encouraging policies, market concentration would have been lower, albeit a dominant firm would emerge anyhow. Second, antitrust and entry encouraging policies would have been more effective in assuring that concentration would decrease. The leading firm would continue to dominate the market, but its relative power would be reduced. © Elsevier Science B.V

Public policies and changing boundaries of firms in a “history-friendly” model of the co-evolution of the computer and semiconductor industries

In this paper, we explore the effects of alternative policies, ranging from antitrust to public procurement, open standards, information diffusion and basic research support on the dynamics of two vertically related industries in changing and uncertain technological and market environments. The two industries are a system industry and a component industry, and the evolution of these industries is characterized by periods of technological revolutions punctuating periods of relative technological stability and smooth technical progress. We have been inspired by the co-evolution of the computer and component industries from their inceptions to the 1980s. On the basis of that evolution, we have developed a history friendly-model this co-evolution. In sum, this paper has stressed that various types of policies may sometimes have contrasting effects on the industry, mainly on concentration and technical change and innovation. It has also shown that the consequences of policies may spillover from one industry to another, and from one type of firms to another. Policies that aim at a specific industry may provoke major changes in a related industry through the product market, the changing boundaries of firms or knowledge and technological interdependencies. The policy maker has to be aware of that. Finally, a major point of the paper regards the unintended consequences of policies

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 10

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of two vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria is presented. It includes the regional assessment of Jasione orbiculata Griseb. ex Velen. for Italy and of Vachellia gerrardii (Benth.) P.J.H.Hurter subsp. negevensis (Zohary) Ragup., Seigler, Ebinger & Maslin for Iraq

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 16

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Aubrieta columnae subsp. sicula, Calligonum zakirovii and Santolina decumbens subsp. tisoniana at global level

Plant Regeneration Above the Species Elevational Leading Edge: Trade-Off Between Seedling Recruitment and Plant Production

Mountains and their biota are highly threatened by climate change. An important strategy that alpine plants use to escape this change consists in seed dispersal and the ability of seeds to germinate and establish in new sites at higher elevation. Little is known about the environmental factors that can affect the regeneration of plants above the elevational limit of growth. We present the first field evidence of recruitment success and plant performance in consequence of upward shift from the alpine to the nival life zone. Seeds of four alpine grassland species were sown at the current elevational limit of growth (site A) and 200 m upward, in a nival environment (site N) located in the Italian Alps. At site N part of the seeds were subjected to experimental manipulation of temperature (using an Open Top Chamber, OTC) or soil (using soil from site A). Recruitment success, soil surface temperature and water potential were monitored for five consecutive years. At the end of the experiment, vegetative growth and foliar traits were measured on individuals from all treatments. Mean annual soil surface temperature and length of the growing season at site A were ca. 2°C higher and ca. 44 days longer than at site N. Seedling emergence and seedling establishment generally were higher at N (with or without OTC) on local soil than at site A or at site N with soil originating from site A. Conversely, production was higher at site A and at site N with soil originating from site A. Recruitment success above the elevational leading edge was enhanced by coarser and nutrient-poor soil, which promoted seedling emergence and establishment but constrained plant growth. This trade-off between seedling recruitment and plant production underlines adaptive consequence and environmental filtering, both critical to forecast community assembly and responses of alpine species to climate warming