异质网络效应、技术进步及社会福利

Heterogeneous Network Effect Technology Progress and Social Welfare

技术进步包括技术创新和技术更新,已有的异质网络效应的技术创新模型仅仅通过对比仅有旧技术及新旧技术并存两种情形来研究技术创新,而尚未包括从新旧技术并存转为仅有新技术这一技术的更新过程。基于异质网络效应的研究思路,本文考察了消费者和厂商在技术创新、技术更新两阶段中的技术选择,在此基础上研究了竞争对于技术创新及技术更新的作用,并比较了不同状态下的社会福利。基本的结论在于,由于异质网络效应的存在,质量差异和价格差异在技术创新、技术更新中的作用以及对社会福利的影响并不确定,竞争能够增强技术创新、技术更新的动力,而标准化实际上是对消费者福利的一个改进。

There are technology innovation and technology upgrade in the process of technology progress, but the existed literatures only studied technology innovation, and neglected technology upgrade. Based on the method of heterogeneous network effect, the paper investigates technology choice of firms and consumers in the process of technology innovation and technology upgrade, and studies the influence of competition on technology innovation and technology upgrade, and then compares social welfare in different states. The basic conclusion is that, because of heterogeneous network effect, the influence of quality difference and price difference on technology progress and on social welfare is not confirmative, and competition can strengthen technology progress, but standardization can improve consumer surplus.