strange stiglitz sighting

["Perelman, Michael" <MPERELMAN@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS STIFLING E-COMMERCE
A report just released by the Computer & Communications Industry
Association says that U.S. government efforts to move operations onto the
Internet are in some cases competing unfairly with the private e-commerce
sector. Ed Black, president and CEO of the CCIA says that some e-commerce
initiatives have ventured beyond boosting efficiency and improving service
quality. "Instead, they are engaging in private-sector businesses. Some
agencies seem to have discovered a back door to rebuilding Big Government
-- and that back door is the Internet." The report, titled "The Role of
Government in a Digital Age," was authored by three prominent economists,
including Joseph Stiglitz, an economics professor at Stanford University
who previously served as the World Bank's Chief Economist. Among the
conclusions reached were that the U.S. Postal Service is competing directly
with private industry through its eBillPay service, and threatening to
swamp fledgling online bill-paying business, which do not have the
resources or the brand recognition of the USPS. The report also warned that
the possible entry of the IRS into online tax preparation would be in
direct conflict with private online tax preparation services. (E-Commerce
Times 13 Oct 2000)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/001013-1.shtml

------
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, Ca. 95929
michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or mperelman@xxxxxxxxxxxx