• Contributors1: David C. Mowery: Introduction2: W. Edward Steinmueller: The U.S. Software Industry: An Analysis and Interpretive History3: Richard N. Langlois and David C. Mowery: The Federal Government Role in the Development of the U.S. Software Industry4: Jonathan Khazam and David C. Mowery: Tails that Wag Dogs: The Influence of Software-based "Network Externalities" on the Creation of Dominant Designs in RISC Technologies5: The User-Driven Evolution of the Japanese Software Industry: The Case of Customized Software for Mainframes6: Thomas Cottrell: Standards and the Arrested Development of Japan's Microcomputer Software Industry7: Franco Malerba and Salvatore Torrisi: The Dynamics of Market Structure and Innovation in the Western European Software Industry8: Peter Grindley: The Future of the Software Industry in the United Kingdom: The Limitations of Independent Production9: Valery Katkalo and David C. Mowery: Institutional Structure and Innovation in the Emerging Russian Software Industry10: Robert P. Merges: A Comparative Look at Intellectual Property Rights and the Software Industry11: David C. Mowery: ConclusionIndex

This is a very timely collection of essays which examines the structure of the software industry from a number of perspectives, and includes some useful historical analysis ... a number of fascinating issues are raised and discussed concerning the shaping and location of the industry and its relationship to the computer hardware industry. David Mowery's contributions and editorial grasp ensure a readable and well-ordered text. Given the paucity of good general studies of this important industry, this collection is certainly to be recommended.