Exploring the Black Box: Technology, Economics, and History (Paperback)

From the Publisher: This book presents a unique account of how technological change is generated and the processes by which improved technologies are introduced into economic activity. The central theme of the book is the idea that technological changes are often path dependent: their form and direction tend to be influenced strongly by the particular sequence of earlier events out of which a new technology has emerged. Individual chapters explore the particular features of new technologies in different historical and sectoral contexts.This book attempts to show how technological change is generated and the processes by which improved technologies are introduced into economic activity. The book advances our understanding of technological change by explicitly recognizing its essential diversity and path-dependent nature. Individual chapters explore the particular features of new technologies in different historical and sectoral contexts.This book presents a unique account of how technological change is generated and the processes by which improved technologies are introduced into economic activity. The central theme of the book is the idea that technological changes are often "path dependent": their form and direction tend to be influenced strongly by the particular sequence of earlier events out of which a new technology has emerged. Individual chapters explore the particular features of new technologies in different historical and sectoral contexts.