[VERN] Response to David Grundy

[Ben Gimpert]

On 4/23/07, GUILLOU Laurent <guillou.aed at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear David,
> your question strikes me as a very geat concern for economics. What are
> the motives, for a person who owns a valuable goods, to deny it voluntarily
> and let it lapse?
> I would like to know if someone could provide information (in law,
> economics, sociology, information science) on that fact. I was only aware of
> one paper (in law and economics) on abandonware and orphan works.


Though I hesitate to take "second life" metaphors too far -- I think it is
probably worth looking into the economics literature on the decision-making
that goes into wills and the disbursement of estate assets upon someone's
death. My quick queries on "estate tax" and "abandonment" on JSTOR, EconLit
and ScienceDirect did not turn up anything specific, but there must be some
study on the "why?" of people choosing to leave their assets to the state
after death.

Best,
Ben Gimpert
London Business School


We can only try to guess what incentives lead your friend to let his
property collapse.

>
> - A feeling that WoW is "evil" and a will not to spread the
> "disease"...The lapse of his account is worth the little contribution he
> made to stop the thrust of WoW.
> - A very strong link between him and his avatars (as an occasionary mmo
> players and RPG gamers, i can totally understand but a character sheet full
> of numbers and crosses cannot be as valuable as a WoW account but, to my
> mind, the issue remains the same). But it makes sense only if he value his
> feelings (remembrance, social network, fame not to have sell is account...)
> as much as the monetary value he could earn by selling his account.
> - A matter of information cost: maybe he doesn't know that his account is
> valulable ? (question: how many players in WoW or MMORGP dont know about
> Real money trade?). It would mean that WoW account is not a real commodity
> and needs (or not) a more developped second hand market.
> - Finally, a voluntarily lapse of property rights could be explain by the
> deep desire to begin a "new life", desire that could not be achieved if the
> property still exists. Then, the loss of property is offset by a future
> gain.
>
> Sorry if I bother you with the economist's mania to find cost-benefit
> motives everywhere but I feel that david's question id of great interest and
> I wanted to have your impressions on this question (from all the perspective
> you may add).
> It's just some hints to launch a discussion opened by David.
>
> Best whishes,
>
> --
> Laurent GUILLOU
> Doctorant en Sciences Economiques (Paris10 / EconomiX - Axe HPE)
> Adjoint Administratif au Programme "Attractivité Economique du Droit"
> (Paris 10)
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