| Abstract: | Market-mediated contracts for technology trade are bound byseveral transaction costs. This paper argues that as these transactioncosts become less severe, markets for technology can help improvethree market failures: (i) R&D duplications; (ii) externalitiesin potentially public R&D outcomes; and (iii) deviationsfrom marginal cost pricing in the downstream product markets.In addition, with larger markets of potential users, the technologysuppliers will have incentives to produce more ‘general’technologies which span a wider number of firms or industries.Markets for technology also produce new failures. In particular,they induce deviation from marginal cost pricing in the saleof the technology, and they generate externalities associatedwith complementary R&D and other investments made by theindependent buyers and suppliers that operate in them. The paperconcludes by discussing policy implications. |
