[FYI] Electronic Purses, Interoperability, and the Internet

[Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)]

http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_4/vanhove/index.html

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     Electronic Purses, Interoperability, and the Internet
     by Leo van Hove

     These last few months the move toward the standardization of
     electronic purses has gained considerable
     momentum. Card issuers and newspapers present this move as
     crucial for crossborder transactions, and especially urgent for
     the Euro-zone. Starting from the network externalities theory, I
     argue that interoperability is more important for electronic
     commerce over the Internet than for real-world cross-border
     transactions.

     Contents

     The Move toward Standardization
     The (Real) Reason Behind the Move
     Network Externalities
     Network Externalities and Interoperability
     Purse Interoperability and the Internet
     Conclusion

     [...]

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