Modelli History friendly della evoluzione delle industrie: il caso dell'industria dei computer

In this paper, we review and discuss the main features of a new generation of evolutionary models: "history-friendly" models. They aim to capture, in a stylized form, qualitative and "appreciative" theories about the mechanisms and factors affecting industry evolution, technological advance and institutional change. In particular, "history-friendly" models are meant to build a bridge between highly abstract formal models and more appreciative, empirically driven theorizing. In this paper, we discuss a model of the computer industry which is able to replicate some main stylized facts of the evolution of this sector. On these grounds, we discuss theory-driven counterfactuals, alternative diversification strategies and the effect of antitrust policies