Newspapers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are currently experimenting with paywalls that prevent non-paying customers from accessing some content. But what if all customers could access the same content, but the "economy" (i.e. free) visitors saw ads and other clutter while the "business class" customers got a cleaner experience? Would that be a viable model? …
Al Roth, Market Designer
Al Roth has been doing fascinating work designing matching markets. These include the markets for matching kidney donors and recipients, medical residents to programs, and assigning students to schools. In these markets, small changes in the "rules of the game" can lead to big efficiency gains, and it's not always obvious how to best make those …
Stagnation or Mismeasurement?
A long, long time ago, in an office not far away, I did some work on the "Productivity Paradox". Recently, the issue has resurfaced in a new way, especially via a new e-book by Tyler Cowen called "The Great Stagnation". Annie Lowrey in Slate discusses Tyler's thesis and quotes me on one counter argument: But revenue is not …
Technology Review Interview about IT and Innovation
Despite the vast amounts of computing and communication power in corporate hands, companies are at the early stages of using IT to revamp business practices, become more efficient, and drive the next wave of national productivity growth. That's the intro the an interview that David Talbot, Technology Review's chief correspondent, did with Erik Brynjolfsson last week. The first …
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Driving can't be frictionless, but can shopping for gas?
Pull into a parking lot, open the right [mobile] app and you may be able to save a dollar or two on your next fill-up. Over the course of a year, you might even save enough money for a decent meal out. That's from an article by Bob Tedeschi in the New York Times on an emerging …
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Digitopoly 