> I'm interested in any pointers to discussions about how the information
> economy will operate given the above conditions. In my opinion this is a
> fundamentally different problem than has previously been addressed by any
> economic model. How does Tim May's "Crypto-Anarchic Manifesto" translate to
> real life and real economic activity ?
This is another example of the increasing costs of government; it expands
the economic price window in which an anarcho- capitalistic PPA can
function. As laws like this become harder and harder to enforce,
ultimately laws WILL be enforced according to economic efficiency. Having
a "government" in place only serves to create friction in this market.
Note that you could get around this problem of anonymity simply by passing
a law stating that all commerce has to happen via book entry settlement
using government issued digital signitures, but the cost of such an
enterprise would far outweigh its earnings. A PPA could save money this
way by charging the same price (or tax) as the government currently
imposes, minus the price window, and then enforcing only those laws which
were economically efficient. Since the government needs funding in order
to run its business, the gov't would eventually have to shut down.
If you want the "official" text on this subject, check out:
http://www.oberlin.edu/~brchkind/cyphernomicon/
It's May's Cyphernomicon, which expands on the manifesto and adds
a variety of important details.