Economics of Structural and Technological Change

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Figures......Page 8
Tables......Page 9
List of contributors......Page 10
Foreword......Page 11
1.1  The relevance of technological change: a background to policy debate......Page 13
1.2  Some considerations on policy......Page 15
2.1  Smith’s contribution......Page 16
2.2  The development of classical ideas......Page 18
3.1  The transition from classical to neoclassical economics......Page 20
3.2  The definition of technical progress......Page 21
3.3  Neutral technical progress......Page 22
3.4.1  Some problems and attempted solutions......Page 24
3.4.2  The ‘structural transformation’ research programme......Page 27
4  SCHUMPETER’S ANALYSIS......Page 28
5  MULTISECTORAL MODELS......Page 31
5.1  The input-output model......Page 32
5.2.2  The effects of technological change......Page 35
5.3  Global and composite technology analysis......Page 36
6.1  The debate immediately after Keynes......Page 38
6.2  Recent developments......Page 40
7.1  Hicks’s neo-Austrian model......Page 42
7.2  Further developments......Page 44
8.1  Precursors and concepts: from Schumpeter to national systems of innovation......Page 45
8.2  Features of the model......Page 47
9  SYSTEMIC ANALYSES......Page 49
10  PLAN OF THE VOLUME......Page 51
NOTES......Page 52
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 54
Part I  Research paths in the economic analysis of technological change......Page 60
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 61
2  EVOLUTION AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOUR......Page 62
3  TECHNOLOGY AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS......Page 64
4  TECHNOLOGY AND THE PURSUIT OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE......Page 65
5  TECHNOLOGY AS STRUCTURED ‘KNOWLEDGE’: SOME CONCEPTS......Page 67
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 71
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 73
2  TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT VERSUS KEYNESIAN AND STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT......Page 74
3  COMPENSATION EFFECTS......Page 75
4  PARTIAL EQUILIBRIUM VERSUS GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSES......Page 79
5  AN OUTLINE OF RECENT APPROACHES TO TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT......Page 80
6  RESULTS, LIMITS AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES......Page 85
NOTES......Page 91
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 92
1  PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS AND PRODUCTION FACTORS......Page 96
2  THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF PRODUCTION FACTORS UNDER CONTINUOUS TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THREE SPECIFIC PERSPECTIVES OF ANALYSIS......Page 99
2.1  Labour and human resources......Page 100
2.2  Physical capital and technology......Page 101
3  BROAD PRODUCTION FACTORS AND KNOWLEDGE......Page 102
4  THE ASSESSMENT OF INTANGIBLE RESOURCES UNDER NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES SCARCITY......Page 106
5  PERSISTENT CONFIGURATIONS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT......Page 108
5.3  Configuration of sustainable development (CSD)......Page 109
6  THE NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IN DECISION-MAKING......Page 110
7  CONCLUSION......Page 111
NOTES......Page 112
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 114
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 117
2  THE FINANCING OF INNOVATION......Page 118
3  THE PROPENSITY OF FIRMS TO INNOVATE......Page 121
4  EFFECTS OF INNOVATION AND INTERDEPENDENCES IN THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM......Page 125
NOTES......Page 128
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 129
Part II  Theoretical models of technological change......Page 131
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 132
2  TECHNOLOGY......Page 135
3  ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION......Page 136
4  INVESTMENT DECISIONS AND THE ADOPTION PROCESS......Page 137
5  A SIMPLE MODEL OF A DIFFUSION PROCESS......Page 141
7  THE EQUILIBRIUM NICHE......Page 142
8  TRANSITION TO THE EQUILIBRIUM NICHE......Page 143
9  THE SUBSTITUTION CURVE......Page 145
10  SOME POLICY IMPLICATIONS......Page 148
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 150
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 154
2  THE EQUILIBRIUM NICHE......Page 155
3  THE TRANSITION TO THE EQUILIBRIUM NICHE......Page 158
4  THE SUBSTITUTION CURVE......Page 160
5  CONCLUSION......Page 161
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 162
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 164
2  DECISION AND INNOVATION. CAN INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOUR BE INTERPRETED AS THE OUTCOME OF RATIONAL DECISIONS?......Page 165
3  INNOVATION AS PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITY......Page 167
4  SATISFICING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING......Page 170
5  ORGANIZATION, TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING......Page 172
6  CONCLUSION......Page 175
NOTES......Page 176
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 177
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 180
2  CYCLE TIME......Page 181
3  SWITCHING TIME......Page 183
4  LEAD TIME......Page 186
NOTES......Page 190
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 192
Part III  Applied analyses of technological change......Page 195
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 196
2  A CHARACTERISTICS REPRESENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY......Page 199
3  TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION......Page 201
3.1.1  Pure substitution......Page 202
3.1.3  Partial substitution......Page 203
3.1.5.  Fundamental and adaptive variables......Page 204
3.1.6  Radical vs. incremental; species vs. characters characteristics......Page 205
4  VARIETY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT......Page 206
4.1  Changes in variety during economic development......Page 208
4.2  Informational implications of variety......Page 210
5  INFORMATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES......Page 213
5.1  Division of labour......Page 214
5.3  Variety, information and processes of technological development......Page 216
6  VARIETY AND ELEMENTARY MECHANISMS IN TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION......Page 218
7  COMPETITION......Page 219
8  CONCLUSION......Page 220
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 222
2  APPROACHES TO CONSTRAINTS IN INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES: A FEW THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS......Page 225
3  PRODUCT INNOVATION: THE RESULTS OF OUR INQUIRY......Page 228
3.1  The forms of research and development activity......Page 229
3.2  The processes of upgrading and the effects of qualified human resources......Page 231
4  JOB VACANCY RATIO OF TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS......Page 233
5  CONCLUSION......Page 237
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 239
2  THE REASONS FOR INNOVATION POLICY......Page 241
3  WHAT ARE THE APPROPRIATE POLICIES FOR INNOVATION......Page 242
4  INNOVATION AND THE FIRM......Page 243
5  THE FIRM’S RESPONSES TO UNCERTAINTY......Page 244
5.1  The local environment......Page 245
5.2.7  The theoretical analysis......Page 249
5.2.2  A factual-theoretical analysis......Page 252
6.1  The neural model......Page 254
6.2  Computer science......Page 256
6.3  Organizational theory......Page 258
7  ECONOMIC NEURAL NETWORK (ENN) IN AN EVOLUTIONARY FRAMEWORK......Page 259
9  SCIENCE PARKS AS ENNS......Page 261
10  CONCLUSION......Page 263
NOTES......Page 265
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 266
1  INTRODUCTION......Page 270
2  GENERAL ASPECTS ON FOREIGN PATENTING ACTIVITY......Page 271
3  THE PATENTING ACTIVITY ABROAD......Page 273
4  AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF ITALIAN PATENTING ABROAD......Page 284
5  A METHODOLOGICAL COMMENT ON THE USE OF FOREIGN PATENTING......Page 287
NOTES......Page 291
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 292
2  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INDICATORS......Page 294
3.1.1  Research and development......Page 297
3.1.2  Patent statistics......Page 298
3.1.3  Surveys of technological innovation......Page 300
3.1.4  The technological balance of payments......Page 301
3.1.5  Analysis of international trade in high-technology products......Page 303
3.1.6  Bibliometrics......Page 304
3.1.7  Human resources......Page 306
3.2.1  Indicators based on information of technical journals......Page 307
3.2.2  Intangible investment......Page 308
3.2.3  Surveys of manufacturing technologies......Page 309
3.2.5  Measurement of organizational change in enterprises......Page 310
3.2.6  Technology foresight......Page 311
3.2.7  Public attitudes and public understanding of science and technology......Page 313
4  PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT......Page 314
NOTES......Page 315
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 316
Index......Page 321