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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Dennis Weller; Bill Woodcock |
| Abstract: | This report finds that the Internet has developed an efficient market for connectivity based on voluntary contractual agreements. Operating in a highly competitive environment, largely without regulation or central organisation, the Internet model of traffic exchange has produced low prices, promoted efficiency and innovation, and attracted the investment necessary to keep pace with demand. |
| Date: | 2012–10–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaab:207-en&r=ict |
| By: | Torsten Schmidt; Simeon Vosen |
| Abstract: | Information about special events can improve economic forecasts substantially. However, due to the lack of timely quantitative data about these events, it has been difficult for professional forecasters to utilise such information in their forecasts. This paper investigates whether Internet search data can improve economic predictions in times of special events. An analysis of “cash for clunkers” programs in four selected countries exemplifies that including search query data into statistical forecasting models improves the forecasting performance in almost all cases. However, the challenge to identify irregular events and to find the appropriate time series from Google Insights for search remains. |
| Keywords: | Forecast adjustment; Google Trends; private consumption |
| JEL: | C53 E21 E27 |
| Date: | 2012–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rwi:repape:0382&r=ict |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | Books have undergone a massive transformation from a physical object to something entirely different: the electronic book, or “e-book”. This report provides background on e-book markets and examines various policy issues related to e-books. These include differing tax rates in countries between physical books and e-books, consumer lock-in to specific platforms, limitations on how users can read and share their purchased content, and a lack of transparency about how data on their reading habits is being used. |
| Date: | 2012–10–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaab:208-en&r=ict |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | This report examines the convergence of fixed and mobile (wireless) networks and services. It considers these developments against a long standing question of whether they are complementary or competitive. The report concludes that they are both. Mobile providers have garnered a very large share of traditional services, such as telephony, over the past decade. Nevertheless, mobile networks are dependent on fixed networks and could not efficiently meet the rapidly expanding demand of users without the contributions made by fixed broadband networks. Managing the differences between networks, and their respective strengths and limitations, is one reason there is still tremendous differences in the pricing of some communication services on these networks. |
| Date: | 2012–10–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stiaab:206-en&r=ict |
| By: | Kummer, Michael E.; Saam, Marianne; Halatchliyski, Iassen; Giorgidze, George |
| Abstract: | When contributing content on large online platforms, producers of user-generated content have to decide where to contribute. On a complex and dynamic platform like Wikipedia, this decision is expected to depend on the way the content is organized. We analyse whether the hyperlinks on Wikipedia channel the attention of producers towards more central articles. We observe a sample 7,635 articles belonging to the category 'EconomicsI on German Wikipedia over 153 weeks and measure their centrality both within this category and in the network of over one million German Wikipedia articles. Our analysis reveals that an additional link from the observed category is associated with around 140 bytes of additional content and with an increase in the number of authors by nearly 0.5. Moreover we observe that the rate of content generation increases notably when previously unlinked articles get connected to the main cluster in the category. -- |
| Keywords: | Wikipedia,network position,user-generated content,hyperlinks |
| JEL: | L14 D83 |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:12053&r=ict |