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User-producer relations, innovation and the evolution of market structures under alternative contractual regimes

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  • Malerba, Franco
  • Orsenigo, Luigi

Abstract

In this paper we examine the effects that user-producer interactions have on innovation and the dynamics of market structure of two vertically related industries under alternative contractual regimes. The existence of advantages stemming from users-producers relationships introduces a dynamic "matching" problem between firms characterized by heterogeneous capabilities and imperfect information who act in a continuously changing environment but are however able to improve their products also through interactive and interdependent learning processes. Our results highlight the subtle trade-offs and dynamic interdependencies that arise in these contexts. In particular, we show that: (a) a trade-off is present between the exploitation of past experience and the exploration of new suppliers; (b) externalities are present, even if the advantages arising from interactions do not spill over to other firms; (c) imperfect information and agents heterogeneity are crucial factors in determining the consequences of alternative contractual arrangements on industry dynamics; (d) vertical interdependencies propagate the effects of specific firms' decisions across industries and over time, so that the resulting dynamics is characterized by interacting path-dependent processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Malerba, Franco & Orsenigo, Luigi, 2010. "User-producer relations, innovation and the evolution of market structures under alternative contractual regimes," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 26-40, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:streco:v:21:y:2010:i:1:p:26-40
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    Cited by:

    1. Roberto Fontana & Lorenzo Zirulia, 2015. "“…then came Cisco, and the rest is history”: a ‘history friendly’ model of the Local Area Networking industry," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 875-899, November.
    2. Gianluca Capone & Franco Malerba & Richard R. Nelson & Luigi Orsenigo & Sidney G. Winter, 2019. "History friendly models: retrospective and future perspectives," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Yuxin Li & Derek Bosworth, 2020. "R&D spillovers in a supply chain and productivity performance in British firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 177-204, February.
    4. R. Fontana & L. Zirulia, 2015. "then came Cisco, and the rest is history : a history friendly model of the Local Area Networking industry," Working Papers wp993, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.

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