Path Dependence, Lock-In, and History
Path Dependence, Lock-In, and History
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DOI：
10.2139/ssrn.1706450
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发表时间：
1995-04
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
S. Liebowitz;Stephen Margolis
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
S. Liebowitz;Stephen Margolis
经济和市场在选择产品时会犯可补救的错误吗？即使在知道这些选择是错误的情况下，经济也会“锁定”这些不正确的选择吗？路径依赖的文献可能被理解为争辩说，即使在一个以自愿决定和个人最大化行为为特征的世界里，这些锁定和错误也会发生。在这篇文章中，我们考察了路径依赖，并说明了这一术语的三种不同形式，每种形式都有关于市场错误和锁定的不同含义。其中两个含义在经济中很常见，但并不支持出现可补救错误的说法。第三种含义确实意味着不可补救的错误，我们证明它是基于可能在现实世界中被克服的限制性假设。通过考察市场对录像机格式的选择来说明这一分析。
Do economies and markets make remediable errors in the choice of products? Does the economy "lock-in" to these incorrect choices even when the knowledge that these choices are incorrect is readily available? The literature of path dependence may be understood to argue that these lock-ins and errors occur, even in a world characterized by voluntary decisions and individually maximizing behavior. In this paper we examine path dependence and illustrate three different forms of the term, each having a different implication regarding market errors and lock-in. Two of these meanings are common in the economy but provide no support for the claims that remediable errors occur. The third meaning, which does imply irremediable error, we show to be based on restrictive assumptions that are likely to be overcome in the real world. The analysis is illustrated by examining the market's choice of videorecorder formats.