This paper investigates the market structure of the insurance business by analyzing the (interlock) linkages among companies created by their directors. We focus on the non-life business since this is a sector relatively closed with respect to the competition with other financial activities; an...

This paper applies the theory of social networks to P2P systems, creating a social-network-based P2P network topology formation algorithm for file sharing. The algorithm extends the Gnutella P2P file sharing technology, which uses super nodes for searching and for relaying shared files between...

This thesis addresses theoretical and empirical questions related to network economics. In particular, it analyze network effects and switching costs in the mobile telecommunications industry. The first chapter analyzes competition in a two-period differentiated-products duopoly in the presence...

The aim of our paper is to determine the efficiency of the asymmetric regulation of the Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) in a market where the firms are differentiated in size and with commercial offers that include calling club effects. Major regulatory issues are related to these analyses,...

A driving force behind the emergence of the 'new' or information economy is the growth of the internet network capacity. A fundamental problem in mapping this dynamic is the lack of an acceptable theoretical framework through which to direct empirical investigations. Most of the models in the...

This paper proposes a model which analyses the role of technological innovation in the competitiveness and efficiency of the payment system industry. The performance of this industry is described through the use of a mathematical model and the strategies of platforms are analysed considering the...

Consumers are using cash less often. This is especially the case in high-value transactions. However, the $1 Federal Reserve Note continues to hold its ground in the realm of micropayments, transactions having a value of less than $5. Economists argue that the staying power of the $1 bill is...