Data as a common in the sharing economy: a general policy proposal

It is nowadays a common place to say that the sharing economy is not really about sharing but about making profits and benefiting a few much more than others. A movement that takes the best of the technologies of sharing economy platforms but orients it to benefiting all, platform cooperativism, is on the rise. Nonetheless, it is far from being popular and nothing indicates that it will. This paper investigates the reasons why dominant platforms remain dominant and proposes a policy that aims at curtailing their dominance, fostering platform cooperativism and maximizing the beneficial societal effects that can be derived from exploiting the data generated in platforms. The paper is structured as follows. Section 1 reviews current definitions of the sharing economy, points out their contributions and limitations and offers a novel and more accurate definition. Section 2 briefly introduces platform cooperativism to show why it can be a tool to fix many of the problems of the sharing economy. Section 3 explains and discusses market power mechanisms specific to the sharing economy that help dominant platforms to remain dominant. Some already existing and proposed solutions to counter these market power mechanisms such as reputation passports, a market for personal data and antitrust remedies are evaluated. Section 4 presents a general policy proposal based on making data a common in the sharing economy using reciprocity licenses. Section 5 offers some clarifications regarding the proposal and sketches some of its shortcomings and open questions that arise from it

La teoría de juegos en su laberinto

International audienceThis work aims at exposing from a critical and original perspective the theoretical difficulties implied in the use of game theory in economics, so the reason of the problems being discussed today by the academic community regarding this mathematical tool may be understood. We will try to show that game theory is not neutral in at least two ways. After showing this, our purpose will be to unveil the connection it has, when applied to the field of industrial organization, with marginalist value theory. In this way, the limitations of game theory when it comes to understand the phenomenons related to the value will be exposed.El presente trabajo busca exponer desde una perspectiva crítica y original las dificultades teóricas que supone el uso de la teoría de juegos en economía, para así poder entender el porqué de los problemas que se discuten hoy en la academia en torno a esta herramienta matemática. Intentaremos mostrar que la teoría de juegos no es neutral en al menos dos sentidos. Una vez mostrado esto, se buscará develar qué conexión hay entre ésta aplicada al campo de la organización industrial y la teoría del valor marginalista. Se expondrán así los límites de la teoría de juegos para comprender los fenómenos relacionados al valor

A Coat of Many Colours - New Concepts and Metrics of Economic Power in Competition Law and Economics

The digital economy has brought new business models that rely on zero-price markets and multi-sided platforms nested in business ecosystems. The traditional concept of market power used by competition authorities cannot engage with this new reality in which (economic) power manifests beyond price and output within a relevant market. These developments have culminated in multiple recent calls for a more multidimensional concept of power. Consequently, suggestions over new concepts of power triggering antitrust/regulatory intervention, such as ‘strategic market status’, ‘conglomerate market power’, ‘intermediation power’, ‘structuring digital platforms’, or ‘gatekeepers’ have proliferated to complete, or even substitute, the archetypical concept of market or monopoly power in competition law. However, a theoretical framework for this multidimensional concept of power that can set the basis for new metrics is missing. This article makes three contributions in that direction. First, we conceptualize different forms of (economic) power that go beyond competition within a single relevant market in terms of competition law and economics. Second, we propose new metrics to measure two forms of power: panopticon power and power based on differential dependency between value co-creators. Third, we test the latter and show how they could reduce false positives and false negatives when assessing dominance

Uneven development patterns in global value chains: An empirical inquiry based on a conceptualization of GVCs as a specific form of the division of labor

This paper has three interconnected aims: proposing a novel and rigorous definition of a global value chain (GVC) that more easily permits the delineation of its frontiers; creating new indicators of GVC participation and value capture that can overcome the limitations of the existing ones; and offering empirical evidence demonstrating that participation in global value chains is part of an uneven development process that produces a variety of distinct integration patterns that differ with respect to economic and social outcomes.The paper is structured as follows. Section 1 offers a definition of GVCs that conceives the latter as a specific form of the division of labor and therefore facilitates the delineation of the frontiers of a GVC. Building on this definition, Section 2 proposes new indicators to measure GVC participation and value capture. Section 3 provides empirical evidence to argue that, contrary to what mainstream economics and international organizations state, larger participation in GVCs does not necessarily lead to higher levels of value capture. Section 4 offers some theoretical justifications to interpret these findings and adds other measures such as the level of productive investment and dimensions of social outcomes in order to better understand differentiated development patterns in GVCs. Sections 5, 6 and 7 empirically show the heterogeneity of development patterns in GVCs for 51 countries between 1995 and 2008. Using country-level data on GVC participation, value capture, investment rates and social indicators (Gini coefficient, labor’s share of income, median income and employment rate), we perform a principal component analysis and a cluster analysis. We find three distinct development patterns in GVCs: reproduction of the core, immiserizing growth, and a social upgrading mirage. We conclude by underlying the apparent complementarity between these development patterns and by identifying some limitations of the paper that open the way to further research.Cet article a trois objectif interconnectés : proposer une définition originale et rigoureuse d’une chaîne globale de valeur (CGV) qui permette de délimiter ses frontières plus facilement ; créer de nouveaux indicateurs de participation aux CGV et de capture de valeur qui puissent surmonter les limites de ceux qui existent actuellement ; et offrir des preuves empiriques qui montrent que la participation aux chaînes globales de valeur est un processus qui produit une variété de formes d’intégration qui différent en termes de résultats économiques et sociaux.L’article est organisé comme suit. La Section I offre une définition des CGV qui les conçoit comme une forme spécifique de la division du travail et facilite ainsi la démarcation des frontières d’une CGV. En s’appuyant sur cette définition, la Section II propose de nouveaux indicateurs pour mesurer la participation aux CGV et la capture de valeur. La Section 3 apporte des preuves empiriques pour argumenter que, contrairement à ce que l’économie orthodoxe et les organisations internationales soutiennent, une plus grande participation aux CGV ne conduit pas nécessairement à des niveaux de capture de valeur plus élevés. La Section 4 offre quelques justifications théoriques pour interpréter ces résultats et ajoute d’autres mesures telles que le niveau d’investissement productif et des indicateurs sociaux dans l’objectif de mieux comprendre les modèles de développement différentiés dans les CGV. Les Sections 5, 6 et 7 montrent empiriquement l’hétérogénéité des modèles de développement dans les CGV pour 51 pays entre 1995 et 2008. En utilisant des données de niveau national sur la participation aux CGV, la capture de valeur, le taux d’investissement et des indicateurs sociaux (coefficient de Gini, part des salaires dans le revenu, revenu médian et taux d’activité) nous réalisons une analyse en composantes principales et une analyse de cluster. Nous trouvons trois modèles de développement différentiés dans les CGV : reproduction du noyau, croissance appauvrissante et mirage de progrès social. Nous concluons en soulignant l’apparente complémentarité entre ces modèles de développement et en identifiant quelques limites de l’article qui ouvrent la voie à de la recherche future

Is ride-hailing doomed to monopoly? Theory and evidence from the main U.S. markets

Cet article montre que l’irruption des plateformes numériques est en train de créer une dynamique winner-takes-all dans les marchés des VTC. On soutient que les marchés des VTC sont en train de devenir des marchés winner-takes-all pour deux raisons : la différenciation de produit n’est pas très pertinente pour créer des niches de marché et les effets de réseau indirects sont particulièrement forts dans les applis de VTC, spécialement car elles sont renforcées par l’effet « boule de neige de data » des usagers dans une plus grande mesure que dans d’autres plateformes numériques. On corrobore ce résultat en s’appuyant sur les données existantes des principales villes des États-Unis. Après avoir défini le marché pertinent des plateformes VTC, on compare les données existantes pour montrer que, comme attendu dans des marchés winner-takes-all, les parts de marché d’une seule firme (Uber) sont en train d’augment au détriment de celles de ses concurrents. Finalement, on montre que la stratégie d’Uber pour conquérir ces marchés semble être basée sur la prédation par les prix et on suggère trois manières à travers lesquelles Uber peut récupérer les pertes liées à la prédation de prix.This paper shows that the irruption of digital platforms is creating winner-takes-all dynamics in ride-hailing markets. We argue that ride-hailing markets are becoming winner-takes-all for two reasons: product differentiation is not very relevant to carve out market niches and indirect network effects are particularly strong in ride-hailing apps, especially because they are enhanced by the user “data snowball effect” to a larger extent than in other digital platforms. We provide an empirical corroboration of these findings that builds on available data from the main cities of the United States. After defining the relevant market of ride-hailing platforms, we compare the existent data to show that, as expected in winner-takes-all markets, the market shares of a single firm (Uber) have been increasing to the detriment of its competitors’. Finally, we show that Uber’s strategy to conquer these markets seems to be based on predatory pricing and we suggest three ways in which Uber might recoup its losses from predation

Teorías de la inflación: el enfoque estructuralista latinoamericano y su revisión crítica desde la epistemología de la economía

Este trabajo es la continuación de Teorías de la inflación: el enfoque estructuralista latinoamericano y su revisión crítica desde la epistemología de la economía (Blampied y Carballa Smichowski, 2011). Allí hemos visto que las diferentes teorías de la inflación del estructuralismo latinoamericano son el resultado de abordar su objeto de estudio -América Latina- desde el concepto de estructura y del empleo de ciertas categorías económicas por parte de sus autores para analizarlo. Respecto a esto último, hemos señalado numerosas limitaciones puntuales que las categorías económicas les imponen a la hora de avanzar en el conocimiento del objeto de estudio del estructuralismo latinoamericano, y, así, en la explicación de la forma particular que adopta el fenómeno de la inflación en Latinoamérica que en las siguientes páginas denominaremos “inflación específicamente (o típicamente) latinoamericana”. No obstante, si bien hemos visto cómo el concepto de estructura influencia las teorías de la inflación del estructuralismo latinoamericano, no hemos hasta ahora explicitado de qué manera el concepto de estructura en sí mismo limitatambién la comprensión de la inflación típicamente latinoamericana. Tampoco hemos mostrado qué relación existe entre estos conceptos económicos y el concepto de estructura en el estructuralismo latinoamericano.En este sentido, nos proponemos en este trabajo mostrar, en primer lugar, cuáles son los conceptos de precio de Sunkel, Olivera y Diamand, para luego encontrar la relación entre esos conceptos y sus conceptos de estructura en el estudio de la forma particular que adopta la inflación en Latinoamérica. En segundo lugar, se revelarán a partir de ahí los límites que el concepto de estructura impone al estudio de esa forma particular y cómo, en consecuencia, el concepto de estructura reclama un concepto superador para dar cuenta de ella, lo que supondrá a su vez superar los conceptos de precio vinculados al concepto de estructura. Finalmente, se argumentará en qué medida el concepto de modo produccióntiene la potencialidad de superar los límites que encontramos en el concepto de estructura, y de esta manera comprender la forma particular que adopta el fenómeno de la inflación en Latinoamérica

UHPLC-(+)APCI-MS/MS determination of oxygenated and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter and tree barks collected in Buenos Aires city

A study was undertaken to evaluate the content of oxygenated and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs and NPAHs) in airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and tree barks. For PM2.5 and PM10 collection different approaches were followed using different type of filters and sample collectors. Samples of PM2.5 were collected on glass fiber filters during one month with a medium volume sampler. For PM10, glass and quartz fiber filters were used and samples were collected simultaneously for one week using a high volume sampler. In addition, bark samples were collected at the same sites. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS) was used for PAHs derivatives quantification. Data acquisition under MS/MS was achieved by applying multiple reaction monitoring to provide a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Chromatographic separation was performed on a reverse phase rapid resolution column using a gradient mode (total run time: 5.0 min). The study evidenced that in airborne particles matter, four PAHs derivatives were detected at concentrations from 0.01 to 240.62 ng m-3 (or 0.3 µg g-1 to 30 mg g-1). Meanwhile, in tree barks, only OPAHs were detected at concentrations varying from 0.18 to 0.72 µg g-1.Fil: Fujiwara, Fabián Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Guiñez, María Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Cerutti, Estela Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Smichowski, Patricia Nora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Gerencia Quimica. CAC; Argentin

Análise morfométrica da bacia do rio Santa Lucía (Corrientes, Argentina)

En el presente trabajo se realizó un estudio morfométrico de la cuenca del río Santa Lucía de laprovincia de Corrientes-Argentina con el fin de determinar su respuesta hidrológica, y señalar lainfluencia de los factores morfométricos en la intensificación o atenuación de las crecidas, lo quegenera datos útiles para planificación territorial. Los resultados obtenidos de la cuantificación ymedición de los parámetros muestran una cuenca con una forma alargada, relieve con alto potencial erosivo, muy escasa pendiente, y una red de drenaje poco eficiente; de lo que se concluye que lacuenca tendrá crecidas graduales, pero extendidas en el tiempo.In this work, a morphometric study of the Santa Lucia River basin in the province of Corrientes-Argentina was carried out to determine its hydrological response, and to indicate the influence of morphometric factors on the intensification or attenuation of floods, which generates useful data for territorial planning. The results obtained from the quantification and measurement of the parameters show a basin with an elongated shape, relief with high erosive potential, very low slope, and a not very efficient drainage network; from which it is concluded that the basin will have gradual floods but extended in time.No presente trabalho foi realizado um estudo morfométrico da bacia do rio Santa Lucía na província de Corrientes-Argentina para determinar sua resposta hidrológica e apontar a influência de fatores morfométricos na intensificação ou atenuação das inundações, que gera dados úteis para o planejamento territorial. Os resultados obtidos a partir da quantificação e medição dos parâmetros mostram uma bacia com forma alongada, relevo com alto potencial erosivo, pouca declividade e uma rede de drenagem ineficiente; do qual se conclui que a bacia terá inundações graduais, mas prolongadas no tempo.Fil: Smichowski, Humberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Contreras, Félix Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; Argentin

Direct analysis of Antarctic krill by slurry sampling: determination of copper, iron, manganese and zinc by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Slurry sampling in combination with flame atomic absorption spectrometry was employed for the direct determination of four essential trace elements, namely Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in Antarctic krill. The effect of instrumental operating conditions and slurry sampling preparation on the analytical signal was investigated. For the determination of Cu, Fe and Zn, samples were suspended in a solution containing 2 mol L-1 HNO3. In the case of Mn, 4 mol L-1 HNO3 was necessary for the preparation of the slurry. The precision between sample replicates was better than 5%. The method was applied to the direct determination of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in Antarctic krill samples using aqueous reference solutions to prepare the calibration curves. The results obtained were in good agreement with those achieved by FAAS and ICP-AES after microwave-assisted wet digestion of the krill samples. The detection limits were 4.5, 1.0, 4.9 and 8.4 mug L-1 for Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe, respectively.A técnica de amostragem de suspensão aliada à espectrometria de absorção atômica com chama foi empregada para a determinação direta de Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn em matrizes de Krill antártico. O efeito dos parâmetros instrumentais e o preparo das suspensões foram estudados em função do sinal analítico. Para a determinação de Cu, Fe e Zn, as amostras foram suspensas em uma solução de HNO3 2,0 mol L-1 e para a determinação de Mn, o krill foi suspenso em uma solução de HNO3 4,0 mol L-1. A precisão entre as replicas foi melhor que 5 %. A metodologia foi aplicada para a determi-nação direta de Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn em amostras de krill antártico, usando padrões aquosos no preparo das curvas analíticas. Os resultados obtidos estão concordantes com os encontrados na determinação por FAAS e ICP-AES, depois da digestão das amostras em um forno de microondas. Os limites de detecção foram 4,5; 1,0; 4,9 e 8,4 mig L-1 para Cu, Zn, Mn e Fe, respectivamente.365370Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Optimization of methods to assess levels of As, Bi, Sb and Se in airborne particulate matter by FI-HG-ICP OES

A study was undertaken to assess the level of selected trace elements namely, As, Bi, Sb and Se in airborne particulate matter collected on ash-free glass-fibre filters from urban and industrial areas of Argentina. For sample digestion, a simple acid treatment with HCl + HF is proposed with the aim to minimize contamination and reduce sample treatment steps. A flow injection-hydride generation system in combination with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used. While, Se and Bi could be determined directly from the digest, As and Sb needed a pre-reduction with KI, and H3BO3 to avoid the interference of F- ions that may cause losses via volatile compounds such as AsF3 and Sb(v) complexes. Limits of detection (3σ) of 0.3 ng m-3 for As; 0.09 ng m-3 for Bi, and 0.1 ng m-3 for Sb and Se were achieved. Precision resulted in better than 6.1% accuracy for all the elements determined. Accuracy test was assessed by means of the certified reference material, NIST 1648 (urban particulate matter).Fil: Savio, Marianela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Pacheco, Pablo Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Luis Dante. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Smichowski, Patricia Nora. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gil, Raul Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentin