Welcome!
I am a Professor of Economics at the University of Münster and a research affiliate at CEPR and CESIfo. I am also a Director at the Münster Center for Economic Policy and a Research Professor at the REACH EUREGIO Start-up Center. I am working on the relation of competition and innovation and the role of science for the innovation process. You can find my CV here. |
The Breakup of Bell and its Impact on Innovation
with Monika Schnitzer
Download | CEPR Discussion Paper We analyze the effects of the 1984 breakup of the Bell System on the rate, diversity, and direction of US innovation. In the antitrust case leading to the breakup, AT&T, the holding company of the Bell System, was accused of using exclusionary practices against competitors. The breakup was intended to end these practices. After the breakup, the scale and diversity of telecommunications innovation increased. Total patenting by US inventors related to telecommunications increased by 19%, driven by companies unrelated to the Bell System. Patenting by Bell’s successor companies decreased, but not the number of top inventions. |