Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/57524 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
Papers on Economics and Evolution No. 1011
Publisher: 
Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena
Abstract: 
Did breakthroughs in core processes during the Industrial Revolution tend to generate further innovations in downstream technologies? Here a theoretical model examines the effect of a political shock on a non-innovating society in which there is high potential willingness to cooperate. The result is regional specialization in the innovation process by degree of cooperation. Tests with a zero-inflated Poisson specification indicate that 116 important innovations between 1700 and 1849 may be grouped into three categories: (1) General Purpose Technologies (GPTs) tended to be generated in large states with standardized languages following transition to pluralistic political systems; (2) GPTs in turn generated spillovers for their regions in technologies where cooperation was necessary to integrate distinct fields of expertise; (3) however, GPTs discouraged downstream innovation in their regions where such direct cooperation was not required.
Subjects: 
general purpose technologies
Industrial Revolution
innovation
cooperation
spillovers
JEL: 
O3
N6
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
307.08 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.