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VoIP Diffusion among New Entrants: A Path Dependent Process

The path dependency literature provides insights on the dynamic allocation processes in which events are non-ergodic and have multiple absorbing states. Technological change belongs to this class of processes. This paper contributes to this conceptual framework by analysing the distinction between path and past dependence. The aim is to investigate how firms implement new innovations in localized technological changes. This conceptual framework is developed to present a longitudinal case study describing the history of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) diffusion using data triangulation. From the empirical findings, it emerges that new entrants have applied the technology with creativity, following a path dependent process, offering free voice communication, while incumbents have applied the technology within a past dependent pattern and thus the benefits to their customers have been reduced and delayed.

Crowdfunding and social influence: an empirical investigation

ABSTRACT The literature so far provides no in-depth investigation of the determinants of decisions to contribute to crowdfunding platforms. The present article draws on work measuring the decisions and prosocial behaviours of individuals in relation to public goods, and uses survey data on crowdfunding behaviour. We surveyed an original sample of individuals in France to explore individual decisions and amounts of funding chosen to support a creative project. We show that in non-equity crowdfunding contributing money is associated with altruism. Our findings suggest that the ‘warm glow’ effect influences the level of the contribution; we show also those monetary incentives could ‘crowd out’ the decisions to contribute of crowdfunders. Our study has some implications for business strategy since understanding why people contribute adds to our knowledge about the incentives that might encourage them to increase their contributions, and allows predictions about how changes to how crowdfunding platforms are managed might affect individual incentives to give.

Waste Prevention and Social Preferences: The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations

Though reduction is at the top of the waste management hierarchy, EU policies have historically introduced waste management incentives mainly concerning waste recovery and recycling, in addition to actions aimed at reducing disposal in landfills. Only very recently have EU policies started defining targets for waste reduction. Against this backdrop, we aim to examine whether individual behavior towards waste reduction is more strongly driven by extrinsic motivations such as social norms, or intrinsic motivations such as purely altruistic preferences. We exploit a large new survey that covers thousands of individuals for the EU27, to test the role of motivations when people are faced with collective management of the public good. We find that diverse motivations are behind the reduction of food waste: extrinsic motivations nevertheless increase the likelihood of producing more waste. Green consumption/recycling-oriented attitudes and individualistic thinking about waste management relate to ‘waste producers’. This shows that in order to go beyond a recycling-oriented society towards reduction of the source of waste externality – its generation – the nature of social preferences matters. Behavior patterns leading to waste reduction are less socially oriented, less exposed to peer pressure and more reliant upon purely ‘altruistic’ social attitudes. Policy makers should learn from the relevant insights on social behavior we here address if our societies aim to fully integrate the idea of waste reduction alongside recycling in the future.

The Economics of Privacy

The increasing digitalization of the economy and advances in data processing have drawn economists attention to the role of personal data in markets. The economics of privacy aims to analyze how individuals, firms, and policymakers interact in markets where personal data play a key role. The complexity of these markets is challenging for academics who rely on different disciplines and methods to investigate privacy issues, including field experiments. In this article we review this literature, and point out the need to take account of the complex interactions between the different economic agents, and highlight specific strategies regarding privacy issues. First, individuals might face a puzzling tradeoff between sharing data in order to access customized services and, on the other hand, protecting their personal data against potential data misuses. Second, industrial organizations and the literature of marketing study how firms can fit personal data into their strategies; and how this can spur new business models. Third, privacy regulation is being challenged as it aims both at protecting individuals privacy while preserving firms capacity to innovate. In this context, the main difficulty for policymakers is to shape a clear framework for both individuals and firms. Lastly, we bring attention to the need for further research to investigate the role of privacy as a business differentiator: in other words to establish a clear link between consumers demand and firms offer.

STEM and Teens: An Algorithm Bias on a Social Media

We study whether online platforms might reproduce offline stereotypes of girls in the STEM disciplines. The article contributes to work that aims to shed light on the possi- ble bias generated by algorithms. We run a field experiment based on launching online ad campaigns on a popular social media platform on behalf of a French computer sci- ence engineering school. We randomize the ad campaign in order to estimate whether a message aimed at prompting girls is more displayed to girls than to boys. The ad campaign targets students in high schools in the Paris area. Our results show that on average girls received 25 fewer impressions than boys, but were more likely to click on the ad if they come across it. This bias is moderated for science oriented high schools with a large majority of girls enrolled in science track. This group of girls receive more impressions compared to other girls. The treatment ad aimed at targeting more girls has a crowding-out effect, with an ad which was, overall, less shown to all.

Information and rewards: results of a field experiment on printing activity

ABSTRACT Improved understanding of the nature and extent of individual concern for environmental issues is crucial for policy makers. The present article uses a within-subject field experiment to measure the impact on the consumption of paper of the provision of environmental information on the one hand and a reward on the other hand. It is found that adding the provision of a reward results in a greater decrease in the consumption of paper relative to the case where there is only the provision of information. However, it is important to note that while intrinsically motivated individuals reduce the consumption of paper in response to the provision of information, for this group there is no effect from the provision of a reward. In terms of policy and managerial implications, it is interesting to note that the different treatments have different impacts depending on the underlying personal norms of the agents. We are also able to test the responsiveness of the subjects to the treatments controlling for demographic characteristics and professional responsibilities.