De Long on network economy

[Rob Schaap]

>>        First, I should say that I have not bought nor do I now buy the
>>concept of an "information economy".  I think software is very much like
>>other goods in the marketplace and is simply more of the kind of thing that
>>has been sold in the capitalist marketplace since its inception.

The doctrine of 'information exceptionalism' is indeed to be treated
warily.  But that's not because it's *all* crap.  Sure, much of it since
Daniel Bell's day has been deployed to marginalise Marxian critiques.

But.

Information is demonstrably unlike other commodities - in terms of
implications for degrees of exploitation, market power, internal cleavages
in the working class, uneven development, cultural imperialism,
difficulties to do with externalities/artificial scarcity, distortions of
investment to do with difficulties in stock valuations, and generally
further blurring the liberal distinction between the public and the
private, and blurring some leftish ('workerist') distinctions between
'real' work and white-collar wankers.  I hold 'information economy' means
enough to warrant some investigation, anyway.

BTW, anyone got any tips for me on that telecommunications costs/prices
query (he almost begged in desperation)?

Cheers,
Rob.