Public information, private profit: how should government agencies compete?

[Tracey P. Lauriault-2]

Nice & precise arguments on costing of civic geomatics data in Europe

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Agenda
Advancing economics in business

Public information, private profit: how should government agencies compete?

Public sector agencies are the largest producers of information in Europe. This information has
been recognised as an under-exploited asset, worth around €68 billion per year. The European
model is to charge companies for public sector information, whereas US government agencies
typically distribute data for free. From a public policy perspective, what are the effects on
competition and efficiency of trying to recover the costs of public information from the private
sector?

(OXERA monthly online publication called Agenda Advancing economics in business) (October 2005)
http://www.oxera.com/cmsDocuments/Agenda_Oct%2005/Public%20information%20private%20profit.pdf

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I have related docs tagged here:
http://del.icio.us/tlauriau/coacid
http://del.icio.us/tlauriau/civicaccess