An Economic Dynamic Approach to the Infrastructure Commons

Abstract:     
This brief essay comments upon and extends Brett Frischman's idea of the infrastructure commons, i.e. that certain commons resources function as infrastructure. After suggesting some refinements of the infrastructure commons theory, this essay shows how an economic dynamic approach to law (see David M. Driesen, The Economic Dynamics of Environmental Law (MIT Press 2003) can help strengthen the case for proper management of the infrastructure commons, helping bolster the case for preserving the commons and identifying some of its limitations. The essay, like Professor Frischman's original article, applies infrastructure commons theory to both environmental and intellectual property resources.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 11

Keywords: infrastructure, commons, economic dynamics, property, intellectual property, environmental law, innovation

JEL Classification: K12, K33, O38

working papers series