Johannes M Bauer Ph.D.

Johannes Bauer

Quello Chair in Media and Information Policy

Department
  • Media & Information
bauerj@msu.edu
(517) 432-8005
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Bio

Johannes M. Bauer is a researcher, writer, teacher, and academic entrepreneur. He is interested in the digital economy next-generation media. His position as Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy facilitates the pursuit of rigorous and actionable research. From September 2023 through December 2024, he was on leave from MSU to serve as the Chief Economist in the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC.

Educated as an engineer and social scientist, he obtained advanced degrees in economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. Michigan State University has been his home institution since 1990. He had the privilege to spend extended times affiliated with Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands (2000-2001), the University of Constance, Germany (Summer 2010), and the University of Zurich, Switzerland (2012).

Appropriately designed, governed, and used, advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) create tremendous opportunities and benefits. They enable individuals to realize their capabilities, support sustainable communities, and support inclusive and livable societies. Harnessing these potential benefits will require public interest technology, good governance models, as well as competition and cooperation. Dr. Bauer's research on these topics has greatly benefited from collaboration with students and practitioners in Michigan, across the United States and abroad.

Roles

Chief Economist, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Director, James H. and Mary B. Quello Center (on leave); Member of the International Scientific Advisory Board, LIRNEasia, Colombo, Sri Lanka; Fellow, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI), Columbia University, New York.

Research and Teaching

My research, teaching and writing focus on the digital economy. I am concerned about harnessing the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) while avoiding their downsides. Much of this work is international and comparative in scope. It is funded by public and private foundations and organizations. Recent articles are published in the Journal of Management Information Systems, Information Economics and Policy, Telecommunications Policy, Telematics and Informatics, and the Social Science Computer Review.

Thematic Research Areas

Media Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship
Policy and Governance

Research Centers and Labs

Quello Center

Related Work

MSU Game Design Ranks among Princeton Review’s Top 20 and #1 in Big Ten
MSU Game Design Ranks among Princeton Review’s Top 20 and #1 in Big Ten
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Johannes M. Bauer, professor of Media and Information and Keith Hampton, interim director of the Quello Center, worked with MSU IT and Merit Network to complete Project MOON-Light, a multimillion dollar initiative to expand broadband infrastructure across the state of Michigan.
ComArtSci Helps Bridge the Digital Divide in Michigan
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Illustration of an Apple computer with a green Lock Screen
Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023
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Photo of Johannes Bauer with caption "Named Chief Economist | Johannes Bauer"
Johannes Bauer appointed FCC chief economist
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Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Highlighting Cybersecurity Awareness Month at ComArtSci 
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Photo of a barn in the country
Gaps in Broadband Access: Lagging Internet Contributes to Lagging Test Scores, Leaving Rural Students Behind
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wires and computer paneling under blue light
Research Presented at International Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy
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Female student working on computer
Studying the Impact of Net Neutrality
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Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications

Azic, M., Bauer, J.M., Kauffman, S., Kwerel, E., LaFontaine, P., Ocker, J., Schwarz, M., & Stancill, M. (2024). Economics at the FCC 2023-2024. Review of Industrial Organization, Published online December 21, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-024-10002-0

Bauer, J. M., & Prado, T. S. (2024). Digital innovation: An information-economic perspective. In D. R. Raban & J. Włodarczyk (Eds.), The Elgar companion to information economics (246–269). Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802203967.00022.

Prado, T.S., & Bauer, J.M. (2022). Big tech platform acquisitions of start-ups and venture capital funding for innovation, Information Economics and Policy, 59, June, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infoecopol.2022.100973.

Bauer, J.M. (2022). Toward new guardrails for the information society. Telecommunications Policy, 46(5), 102350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2022.102350.

Bauer, J.M., & Bohlin, E. (2022). Regulation and innovation in 5G markets. Telecommunications Policy, 46(4), 102260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102260.

Knieps, G., & Bauer, J.M. (2022). Internet of Things and the economics of 5G-based local industrial networks. Telecommunications Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102261

Hampton, K.N., Robertson, C.T., Fernandez, L., Shin, I., & Bauer, J.M. (2021). How variation in internet access, digital skills, and media use are related to rural student outcomes: GPA, SAT, and educational aspirations. Telematics and Informatics, 63, 101666, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101666.

Reisdorf, B.C., Blank, G., Bauer, J. M., Cotten, S., Robertson, C.T., & Knittel, M. (2021). Information Seeking Patterns and COVID-19 in the United States. Journal of Quantitative Description-Digital Media, 1. https://doi.org/10.51685/jqd.2021.003.

Prado, T.S., & Bauer, J.M. (2021). Improving broadband policy design using market data: A general framework and application to Brazil, Telecommunications Policy, 45(5), 102111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102111.

Hong, S.J., Bauer, J.M., Lee, K., & Granados, N.F. (2020). Drivers of supplier participation in ride-hailing services, Journal of Management Information Systems, 37(3): 602-630, open access, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2020.1790177.

Feijóo, C., Kwon, Y., Bauer, J.M., Bohlin, E., Howell, B., Jain, R., Potgieter, P., Vu, K., Whalley, J., & Xia, J. (2020). Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to increase well-being for all: The case for a new technology diplomacy, Telecommunications Policy, 44(6): 101988, available under a Creative Commons license at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2020.101988.

Bauer, J.M. (2018), The Internet and income inequality, Telecommunications Policy, 42(4): 333-343, available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2017.05.009.

Recent Book

Bauer, J.M. & Latzer, M. (eds.), Handbook on the Economics of the Internet, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2016. Paperback edition 2017.

Recent Presentations

Bauer, J.M., "Market reform: ICT convergence", PURC-World Bank Training Program for International Regulators, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, January 20, 2025.

Bauer, J.M., "The return of the state into the digital economy", CITI/IMMAA online seminar, Columbia University, New York, January 5, 2023.

Bauer, J.M., "An information-economic perspective on platform governance", Online Symposium New Perspectives on the Digital Economy: Sharing, Platforms & Regulation, Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin, Germany, December 2, 2022.

Bauer, J.M., "Digital innovation ecosystems: Aligning private and societal interests", Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden, December 5, 2022.

Bauer, J.M., "Escaping the digital equality/digital inequality cycle", Connect 313 Digital Inclusion Week Research Symposium, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, October 4, 2022.

 

Contact Information

404 Wilson Road, Suite 406
Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Michigan State University