University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Competition, Standardization and Coordination: The Emergence of the British Standard Wire Gauge in 1883

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 21:30 authored by Aashish Velkar
When science could not provide a solution to transaction problems in the British wire industry c.1880, market groups had to negotiate a business solution. This involved converging towards a 'one-size-fits-all' standard: a process requiring compromises and cooperation between competitive firms, and solving coordination failure through state intervention. This paper demonstrates how different groups held different notions of 'ideal' standards depending on the incentives they faced. Reconciling these differences was an institutional, rather than a technological, process. The paper also analyses why, historically, dominant producers cooperated to set industry standards when faced with an imminent lock-in on 'wrong' standards imposed on the industry.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Business History

ISSN

0007-6791

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Issue

2

Volume

51

Page range

222-247

Department affiliated with

  • Business and Management Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC