Working Paper #2014-087
Leadership-driven innovation & evolution of societies
The fundamental problem in the field of the economics of innovation is
which economic subjects are the sources of radical innovations and high
technological performances. The study here confronts this problem by
developing a theoretical framework underpinned in the concept of
purposeful system having a purpose of global leadership, which
endeavours to analyse the sources of General-Purpose Technologies (GPTs)
in a Schumpeterian world of innovation-based competition. Through an
inductive study based on some societies that in the history have
generated technological and economic change (Roman and Britain Empire,
and current USA), the analysis shows vital characteristics that can be
the sources of changes in the techno-economic paradigm. In particular,
purposeful country-systems with high economic military potential,
supported by a strategy of high R&D expenditures, and the objective of
global leadership, winning international conflicts against other great
powers (a very strong competition for the hegemony), tend to generate
several inventions and radical innovations that are spread, in the long
run, across wide geo-economic areas. It seems that the initial sources
of GPTs (e.g. aqueduct, steam engine, jet aircraft, computer, etc.) are,
de facto, associated with the global posture of great powers to
achieve/sustain global leadership in intensive (effective and/or
potential) international competitions, rather than warfare per se. This
study refers to this nexus as leadership-driven innovation.
International conflict is the context that spurs the GPTs, which are
driven by global leadership of critical societies, whereas initial
military R&D, demand and procurement are important mechanisms underlying
the process that induces emerging path-breaking technologies. The vital
linkages between observed facts can support a general socio-economic
framework of the sources of path-breaking innovations based on a
leadership of main economic subjects that support innovative activity
(mainly in communications and energy systems parallel to transportation
technology) and the evolution and development of human societies.
- Keywords
-
- Technological Innovation
- Technological Change
- Technological Paradigms
- General-Purpose Technologies
- Economic Change
- Systems Concepts
- Conflict
- War
- Global leadership
- Great Powers
- Techno-Economic Paradigm
- Radical Innovation
- JEL codes
-
- O31
- O39
- O10
- N00
- N31
- N33
Cite this as
APA 7th ed.Coccia, M. (2014). Leadership-driven innovation & evolution of societies (UNU-MERIT Working Paper No. 2014-087). UNU-MERIT. https://unu-merit.nl/publications/working-papers/abstract/?id=5602