Scott J. Savage

Measuring Public Sector Efficiency: A Study of Economics Departments at Australian Universities

The 1987 Green Paper on Australian higher education included a recommendation for the abandonment of the binary system. The Dawkins plan effectively transferred resources from established universities to the former colleges of advanced education. This study compares the initial and subsequent performance of economics departments. The analysis applies survey data to a non-parametric data envelopment analysis model. Model results suggest that while overall performance has improved substantially, further productivity improvements are required for new universities to achieve best practice.

Telecommunications and economic growth

In an emerging global economy the ability of the telecommunications sector to provide an internationally competitive network for transferring information has significant implications for trade and economic growth. Because of recent large world‐wide investments in telecommunications infrastructure, quantifying the impact of telecommunications in economic growth has received much attention. However, economic analysts, in the absence of investment data for many developing countries, adopt the International Telecommunications (ITU) practice of using main telephone lines to measure the stock of telecommunications capital. The accuracy of this proxy has not been subject to careful statistical scrutiny. This study develops a supply‐side growth model which employs teledensity and the share of telecommunications investment in national income as telecommunications capital proxies. Estimation results suggest a significant positive cross‐country relationship between telecommunications capital and economic growth, when using alternative measures of telecommunications capital.

United States Demand for Internet Access

This study uses survey data from 2003 to empirically assess United States residential demand for Internet access. Econometric results indicate that service reliability, speed, and the ability to share music and video files are highly valued Internet access attributes. The latter finding suggests commercial development of online file sharing services has potential to generate substantive network effects for access providers, hardware manufacturers, software and content providers. Legal and reimbursement issues need to be resolved between interested telecommunications parties and the entertainment industry to realize these gains in the future.

Household demand for broadband internet service

How much are consumers willing to pay for broadband service?

Household Demand for Broadband Internet in 2010

Abstract This paper uses data from a nationwide survey administered during late 2009 and early 2010 to estimate a random utility model of household preferences for broadband Internet service. Reliability and speed are important service characteristics: the representative household is willing to pay

R&D spillovers, information technology and telecommunications, and productivity in ASIA and the OECD

20 per month for more reliable service;

The Effects of Competition on the Price for Cable Modem Internet Access

45 for an improvement in speed from slow to fast; and

Some Economic and Social Aspects of Residential Internet Use in Australia

48 for an improvement in speed from slow to very fast. A representative household would be willing to pay

The Effect of Information Technology on Economic Education.

79 per month for a fast, reliable Internet service. Internet valuations increase with experience, and there has been an estimated two- to three-fold increase in consumer surplus per household between 2003 and 2010. If experience causes increased valuation, targeted programs that educate households about the benefits from broadband, expose households to the broadband experience and/or directly support the initial take-up of broadband have potential to increase overall penetration in the United States.

The Effect of Private Interests on Regulated Retail and Wholesale Prices

This paper examines the role research and development (R&D) plays in technology progress for a sample of OECD and Asian economies from 1980 to 1995. An empirical model is estimated which relates total factor productivity to domestic and foreign R&D activity, trade, and information technology and telecommunications (ITT). Model estimates confirm a positive relationship between national productivity and R&D activity exists in the long run. Further, the benefits of R&D can spillover countries through trade, in particular, trade in ITT equipment.