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Compatibility and Market Structure for Network Goods

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  • Nicholas Economides
  • Fredrick Flyer

Abstract

This paper analyzes the economics of industries where network externalities are significant. In such industries, firms have strong incentives to adhere to common technical compatibility standards, so that they reap the network externalities of the whole group. However, a firm also benefits from producing an incompatible product thereby increasing its horizontal product differentiation. We show how competition balances these opposing incentives. We find that market equilibria often exhibit extreme disparities in sales, output prices, and profits across firms, despite no inherent differences in the firms' production technologies. This may explain the frequent domination of network industries by one or two firms. We also find that the presence of network externalities dramatically affects conventional welfare analysis, as total surplus in markets where these externalities are strong is highest under monopoly and declines with entry of additional firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholas Economides & Fredrick Flyer, 1997. "Compatibility and Market Structure for Network Goods," Working Papers 98-02, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ste:nystbu:98-02
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    File URL: http://raven.stern.nyu.edu/networks/98-02.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nicholas Economides, 1997. "The Economics of Networks," Brazilian Electronic Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, vol. 1(0), December.
    2. Becker, Gary S, 1991. "A Note on Restaurant Pricing and Other Examples of Social Influences on Price," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(5), pages 1109-1116, October.
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    6. Economides, Nicholas & White, Lawrence J., 1994. "Networks and compatibility: Implications for antitrust," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(3-4), pages 651-662, April.
    7. Donsimoni, Marie-Paule & Economides, Nicholas S & Polemarchakis, Herakles M, 1986. "Stable Cartels," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 27(2), pages 317-327, June.
    8. Jaskold Gabszewicz, J. & Thisse, J. -F., 1979. "Price competition, quality and income disparities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 340-359, June.
    9. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1985. "Network Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(3), pages 424-440, June.
    10. Nicholas Economides & Charles Himmelberg, 1995. "Critical Mass and Network Size with Application to the US Fax Market," Working Papers 95-11, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    11. Raymond Deneckere & Carl Davidson, 1985. "Incentives to Form Coalitions with Bertrand Competition," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(4), pages 473-486, Winter.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David A. Malueg & Marius Schwartz, 2006. "Compatibility Incentives Of A Large Network Facing Multiple Rivals," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 527-567, December.
    2. Fan-Chen Tseng & Kuang-Cheng Andy Wang, 2011. "Compatibility Strategies For An Asymmetric Duopoly Considering Network Effects And Market Shares," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(04), pages 615-634.
    3. Maurizio Polato & Josanco Floreani, 2012. "Consolidation in the Exchange Industry: What are Exchanges Actually Worth? Some Evidence from a Crises Environment," Transition Studies Review, Springer;Central Eastern European University Network (CEEUN), vol. 19(2), pages 195-203, November.
    4. Fabio Manenti & Ernesto Somma, 2008. "One-Way Compatibility, Two-Way Compatibility and Entry in Network Industries," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 301-322.
    5. Clements, Matthew T., 2004. "Direct and indirect network effects: are they equivalent?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 633-645, May.
    6. Jiawei Chen & Ulrich Doraszelski & Joseph E. Harrington, Jr., 2009. "Avoiding market dominance: product compatibility in markets with network effects," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 40(3), pages 455-485, September.
    7. Feng Zhu, 2008. "Ad-sponsored Business Models and Compatibility Incentives of Social Networks," Working Papers 08-20, NET Institute, revised Sep 2008.
    8. Baake, Pio & Boom, Anette, 2001. "Vertical product differentiation, network externalities, and compatibility decisions," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 19(1-2), pages 267-284, January.
    9. Sam Chandan & Christiaan Hogendorn, 2001. "The Bucket Brigade Pricing And Network Externalities In Peer-To-Peer Communications Networks," Wesleyan Economics Working Papers 2001-001, Wesleyan University, Department of Economics.
    10. Guibourg, Gabriela, 2001. "Interoperability and Network Externalities in Electronic Payments," Working Paper Series 126, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden).
    11. Baohong Sun & Jinhong Xie & H. Henry Cao, 2004. "Product Strategy for Innovators in Markets with Network Effects," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 243-254, October.
    12. Lazzarini, Sergio G., 2002. "The Performance Implications of Membership in Competing Firm Constellations: Evidence from the Global Airline Industry," Insper Working Papers wpe_23, Insper Working Paper, Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa.
    13. Christian Wey, 1999. "Compatibility Investments in Duopoly with Demand Side Spillovers under Different Degrees of Cooperation," CIG Working Papers FS IV 99-02, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG), revised Aug 1999.
    14. Porchiung Ben Chou & Cesar Bandera, 2020. "An Oligopoly Game with Network Effects for Compatible and Incompatible Standards: As Applied to Short and Multimedia Message Services," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 19(1), pages 27-46, June.
    15. Josanco Floreani & Maurizio Polato, 2010. "Consolidation and Business Strategies in the Securities Industry: How Securities Exchanges Create Value?," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 1(1), pages 28-42, November.
    16. Daniel O'Brien, 2001. "Comments on The Microsoft Antitrust Case," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 53-61, March.
    17. Roy Jones & Haim Mendelson, 2011. "Information Goods vs. Industrial Goods: Cost Structure and Competition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(1), pages 164-176, January.
    18. Chen, Jiawei, 2018. "Switching costs and network compatibility," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-30.
    19. Matthew Mitchell & Andrzej Skrzypacz, 2006. "Network externalities and long-run market shares," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 29(3), pages 621-648, November.
    20. John, McGee & Tanya, Sammut-Bonnici, 2002. "Network Industries in the New Economy," MPRA Paper 50623, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    networks; network externalities; coalition structures; technical standards; compatibility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design

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