E-Commerce Economics

This second edition of eCommerce Economics addresses the economic issues associated with using computer-mediated electronic networks, such as the Internet, as mechanisms for transferring ownership of or rights to use goods and services. After studying this book, students will recognize problems that arise in the electronic marketplace, such as how to gauge the competitive environment, what products to offer, how to market those products, and how to price those products. They also will understand the conceptual tools required to evaluate the proper scope of public policies relating to electronic commerce.

Core topics covered in the book include the underpinning of electronic commerce and the application of basic economic principles, including the theories of perfect and imperfect competition, to the electronic marketplace. Building on this foundation, the book discusses virtual products, network industries, and business strategies and conduct. Additional key topics include Internet advertising, intellectual property rights in a digital environment, regulatory issues in electronic markets, public sector issues, online banking and finance, digital cash, international electronic trade, and the implications of e-commerce for aggregate economic activity.

David VanHoose is Professor of Economics at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, Texas, USA. He was previously Editor for Monetary Economics with the Journal of Economics and Business and the author of textbooks in macroeconomics, money, banking and financial markets, and international economics.

1. Foundations of Electronic Commerce 2. Applying Basic Economic Principles to Electronic Commerce 3. Imperfect Competition, Virtual Products, and Network Industries 4. Business Strategies and Conduct in the Electronic Marketplace 5. Searching for Information in Electronic Markets 6. E-Commerce Intermediaries and Two-Sided Markets 7. Internet Advertising 8. Innovation, Intellectual Property Rights, and the Internet 9. Public Policy Issues in Electronic Markets 10. Internet Regulation and Net Neutrality 11. The Public Sector and the Electronic Marketplace 12. Electronic Commerce and the World Trading System 13. The Economics of Online Banking and Finance 14. Digital Money and Aggregate Economic Activity