lumpiness

is the idea that when, for example, you purchase a computer, it comes as a single 'lump' and you cannot but buy an excess in power or features that will go unused.

Much of Benkler's core argument rests on the observation that some material resources, like cars, are, as he puts it, 'lumpy' and of 'medium granularity.' 'Lumpy' for Benkler refers to any good that you must purchase 'as is,' whether or not you will use all its features. For example, to carry out your work, you may not need all the CPU power the manufacturer has pre-installed on your computer, and yet you likely have no choice but to purchase a machine more powerful than you need. 'Granularity,' on the other hand, refers to use the extent to which an object is or is not being used at capacity. Cars, for example, are usually not driven 24 hours a day (sometimes only once in a day or a few times a week) and therefore not used at capacity. For this reason, most cars can be described as possessing 'medium granularity.'

lumpiness, n.All

lumpiness