A Supply Side Story for a Threshold Model: Endogenous Growth of the Free and Open Source Community

Rullani, Francesco; Zirulia, Lorenzo

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1923603

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A Supply Side Story for a Threshold Model: Endogenous Growth of the Free and Open Source Community

Quaderni DSE Working Paper No. 781

37 Pages Posted: 7 Sep 2011 Last revised: 30 Sep 2013

See all articles by Francesco Rullani

Francesco Rullani

Ca Foscari University of Venice, Bliss - Digital Impact Lab

Lorenzo Zirulia

University of Milan - Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods (DEMM)

Date Written: September 7, 2011

Abstract

The study of social institutions producing and disseminating knowledge has mainly concentrated on two main concepts: Science and Technology. This paper examines a recent institutional form that seems not to resemble either of the other two; that is, knowledge-intensive communities, where individuals freely exchange knowledge through information and communication technology. Using free and open source software as an example, we develop a model where this phenomenon is confronted with Technology with respect to its ability to attract researchers.

Keywords: free and open source software, science, technology, community, intellectual property rights

JEL Classification: O31, L86, L88

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Rullani, Francesco and Zirulia, Lorenzo, A Supply Side Story for a Threshold Model: Endogenous Growth of the Free and Open Source Community (September 7, 2011). Quaderni DSE Working Paper No. 781, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1923603 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1923603