Internet Economics: What Happens When Constituencies Collide?

Abstract

This paper describes the emerging field of Internet Economics and some of the constituencies which are shaping it. It defines the motivating factors for looking at this area, reviews some recent research results, and explores areas of overlapping interest. The paper concludes with six recommendations for further work. different academic disciplines which have done work related to Internet economics: technology, economics, and policy. Each of these areas has important contributions to make to the field but there has been little consensus across disciplines (or even within disciplines) on which direction to take. Figure 1 shows a Venn diagram which tries to characterize the constituencies' current motivation to look at Internet economics.