this thesis. In the first set of papers (chapters 2 and 3) I investigate the use of product standards in international … trade. Product standards relate to restrictions on the attributes of a product that must be satisfied before the product … becomes eligible to be sold in a particular market. The World Trade Organization ruling on product standards requires member …

hiring standards in response to changes in market conditions has been emphasized in a classical contribution by Reder and …, suggesting that market clearing in labor markets is achieved by a combination of wage adjustments and changes in hiring standards. …

Many high technology goods are based on standards that require several essential patents owned by different IP holders …

This paper discusses the design, implementation and use of standards from the perspective of transaction costs … economics. A proper design and implementation of standards may lead to a considerable reduction of transaction costs, which … shows that network externalities play a major role in the use of standards, and that, on the other hand, worldwide standards …