PFF has just published The American System: A Schumpeterian History of Standardization, by Andrew Russell. The theme:

Industry standardization has grown from the three distinct realms of private firms, public sector regulation and inter-firm cooperation. These standard setting institutions evolve and react to the commercial environment, creating a "distinctly American system," explains Andrew L. Russell in "The American System: A Schumpeterian History of Standardization," a series of essays examining the historical development of American industry standardization. The respective roles of the private and public sectors in standards setting have gained increased attention as the information technology sector plays a greater role in the economy. In "De Facto Standards in American Industry," the first of three papers in the series, PFF Adjunct Fellow Russell "describes how firms developed standards to promote efficient production, economies of scale, and competitive advantages."

PFF has a continuing interest in this topic. See Reflections on Intellectual Property and Standards -- The Immediate Issue: Should Standards be Own-Able? (Aug. 2005), Standards in the Digital Age (March 2005), and Standardization in Digital Networks: The Case of 2G Mobile Phones (Nov. 2004), plus the first incarnation of the Digital Europe project.

posted by James DeLong @ 3:21 PM | Standards

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