• Externalities and Platform Markets with Paavo Ritala

  • Jan 29 2025
  • Length: 41 mins
  • Podcast

Externalities and Platform Markets with Paavo Ritala

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  • Summary

  • The discussion begins with positive network externalities, which are broken down into three key factors: accumulation, variety, and utility. Accumulation describes how interconnected items on a platform, such as Wikipedia articles, create value. Variety refers to the value generated by diverse complements, exemplified by apps in an app store. Utility represents the immediate value a platform offers, like an Uber ride. We then explore the concept of negative network externalities, which occur when positive effects become excessive. These include rivalry from increased user numbers, choice overload due to excessive variety, fragmentation from over-accumulation, and value degradation resulting from poor utility. The discussion further introduces the concept of amplified network externalities. This includes network connectivity and horizontal complementarity. Horizontal complementarity, a concept the authors note as underexplored, refers to the value created when platform complements are used together, such as calendar and video conference apps on a smartphone. The authors mention writing another paper focused solely on this concept. They also highlight super apps like WeChat and Grab as examples of platforms attempting to internalize horizontal externalities. This comprehensive framework provides a nuanced understanding of how network effects operate in platform markets, offering insights into both the positive and negative aspects of platform growth and diversification.
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