The Economics of QWERTY

The Economics of QWERTY PDF Author: S. J. Liebowitz
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 9780814751787
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
The top left hand side of the keyboard reads "Q-W-E-R-T-Y." Is this inefficient layout an inefficient early development to which we are now forever committed? The "economics of QWERTY" describes cases in which it has been claimed that technologies which have become accepted are not as good as rival technologies. Perhaps they have been "locked in" at an early stage, preventing newer, better possibilities from taking hold. Distinguished economists Stan Liebowitz and Steven Margolis have critically examined the various aspects of the economics of QWERTY and its implications, calling into question the historical accuracy of the standard account of QWERTY and similar cases such as those of Beta/VHS and Macintosh/Windows. They contend that no plausible case of inferior standards being locked in has ever been documented, though much antitrust activity and legislative policy has been based on the belief in the occurrence of such cases. The Economics of Qwerty brings together into one volume Liebowitz and Margolis's essential contributions, remarkable for their eloquence and relevance, to consider these issues, which are of real and enduring importance for the functioning of the market economy. Together they constitute a complete account of the critique of the economics of QWERTY.

The Economics of QWERTY

The Economics of QWERTY PDF Author: S. J. Liebowitz
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 9780814751787
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Get Book Here

Book Description
The top left hand side of the keyboard reads "Q-W-E-R-T-Y." Is this inefficient layout an inefficient early development to which we are now forever committed? The "economics of QWERTY" describes cases in which it has been claimed that technologies which have become accepted are not as good as rival technologies. Perhaps they have been "locked in" at an early stage, preventing newer, better possibilities from taking hold. Distinguished economists Stan Liebowitz and Steven Margolis have critically examined the various aspects of the economics of QWERTY and its implications, calling into question the historical accuracy of the standard account of QWERTY and similar cases such as those of Beta/VHS and Macintosh/Windows. They contend that no plausible case of inferior standards being locked in has ever been documented, though much antitrust activity and legislative policy has been based on the belief in the occurrence of such cases. The Economics of Qwerty brings together into one volume Liebowitz and Margolis's essential contributions, remarkable for their eloquence and relevance, to consider these issues, which are of real and enduring importance for the functioning of the market economy. Together they constitute a complete account of the critique of the economics of QWERTY.

Peddling Prosperity

Peddling Prosperity PDF Author: Paul R. Krugman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393312928
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
The past twenty years have been an era of economic disappointment in the U.S. They have also been a time of intense economic debate, as rival ideologies contend for policy influence. But strange things have happened to economic ideas on their way to power--they've been hijacked by policy entrepreneurs who offer easy answers to hard problems.

Economics for Real People

Economics for Real People PDF Author: Gene Callahan
Publisher: Ludwig von Mises Institute
ISBN: 1610164679
Category : Austrian school of economics
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description


Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy

Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy PDF Author: W. Brian Arthur
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 9780472022403
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Pioneering work on an important new approach to economics.

The Economics of Technological Change

The Economics of Technological Change PDF Author: Edwin Mansfield
Publisher: London : Longmans
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Study of economic implications of technological change in the USA - covers industrial development, productivity growth, automation, redundancy, labour mobility, employment policy, inventions and innovations, industrial research and decision making, government policy, scientific research, etc. References.

The Applied Theory of Price

The Applied Theory of Price PDF Author: Deirdre N. McCloskey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 662

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Book Description


Typewriting Behavior

Typewriting Behavior PDF Author: August Dvorak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 588

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Book Description


The Economics of Platforms

The Economics of Platforms PDF Author: Paul Belleflamme
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108625622
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Digital platforms controlled by Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Tencent and Uber have transformed not only the ways we do business, but also the very nature of people's everyday lives. It is of vital importance that we understand the economic principles governing how these platforms operate. This book explains the driving forces behind any platform business with a focus on network effects. The authors use short case studies and real-world applications to explain key concepts such as how platforms manage network effects and which price and non-price strategies they choose. This self-contained text is the first to offer a systematic and formalized account of what platforms are and how they operate, concisely incorporating path-breaking insights in economics over the last twenty years.

False Economy

False Economy PDF Author: Alan Beattie
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101046899
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
A "provocative...persuasive" (The New York Times) book that examines countries' economic destinies. In False Economy, Alan Beattie weaves together the economic choices, political choices, economic history, and human stories, that determine whether governments and countries remain rich or poor. He also addresses larger questions about why they make the choices they do, and what those mean for the future of our global economy. But despite the heady subject matter, False Economy is a lively and lucid book that engagingly and thought-provokingly examines macroeconomics, economic topics, and the fault lines and successes that can make or break a culture or induce a global depression. Along the way, readers will discover why Africa doesn't grow cocaine, why our asparagus comes from Peru, why our keyboard spells QWERTY, and why giant pandas are living on borrowed time.

Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy

Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy PDF Author: Tim Harford
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1408709139
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service Who thought up paper money? How did the contraceptive pill change the face of the legal profession? Why was the horse collar as important for human progress as the steam engine? How did the humble spreadsheet turn the world of finance upside-down? The world economy defies comprehension. A continuously-changing system of immense complexity, it offers over ten billion distinct products and services, doubles in size every fifteen years, and links almost every one of the planet's seven billion people. It delivers astonishing luxury to hundreds of millions. It also leaves hundreds of millions behind, puts tremendous strains on the ecosystem, and has an alarming habit of stalling. Nobody is in charge of it. Indeed, no individual understands more than a fraction of what's going on. How can we make sense of this bewildering system on which our lives depend? From the tally-stick to Bitcoin, the canal lock to the jumbo jet, each invention in Tim Harford's fascinating new book has its own curious, surprising and memorable story, a vignette against a grand backdrop. Step by step, readers will start to understand where we are, how we got here, and where we might be going next. Hidden connections will be laid bare: how the barcode undermined family corner shops; why the gramophone widened inequality; how barbed wire shaped America. We'll meet the characters who developed some of these inventions, profited from them, or were ruined by them. We'll trace the economic principles that help to explain their transformative effects. And we'll ask what lessons we can learn to make wise use of future inventions, in a world where the pace of innovation will only accelerate.