Open source software development and the private-collective innovation model: Issues for organization science
Journal
Organization Science
ISSN
1047-7039
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2003-03-01
Author(s)
Vonkrogh, Georg
;
von Hippel, Eric
Abstract
Currently, two models of innovation are prevalent in organization science. The "private investment" model assumes returns to the innovator result from private goods and efficient regimes of intellectual property protection. The "collective action" model assumes that under conditions of market failure, innovators collaborate in order to produce a public good. The phenomenon of open source software development shows that users program to solve their own as well as shared technical problems, and freely reveal their innovations without appropriating private returns from selling the software. In this paper, we propose that open source software development is an exemplar of a compound "private-collective" model of innovation that contains elements of both the private investment and the collective action models and can offer society the "best of both worlds" under many conditions. We describe
a new set of research questions this model raises for scholars in organization science. We offer some details regarding the types of data available for open source projects in order to ease access for researchers who are unfamiliar with these, and also offer some advice on conducting empirical studies on open source software development processes.
a new set of research questions this model raises for scholars in organization science. We offer some details regarding the types of data available for open source projects in order to ease access for researchers who are unfamiliar with these, and also offer some advice on conducting empirical studies on open source software development processes.
Language
English
Keywords
Open Source Software
Innovation; incentives; User Innovation
Users
Collective Action
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Informs
Publisher place
Hanover, Md.
Volume
14
Number
2
Start page
209
End page
223
Pages
15
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
30602
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