Technological Change Process

A Technological Change Process is a change process that involves a technological invention and technology diffusion.

• Context:
  • It can range from being an Incremental Technological Change Process to being a Revolutionary Technological Change Process.
  • It can range from being a Significant Technical Change, such as the development of the internet, to being a Small Technical Change, like minor software updates.
  • It can manifest as Capital-Augmenting Technology, enhancing the productivity of capital; Neutral Economic Augmenting Technology, which equally benefits all factors of production; or Labor-Augmenting Technology, specifically increasing labor productivity.
  • It can be referenced by Market Demands, Regulatory Changes, Scientific Advances, and Social Needs, which drive the invention and diffusion of new technologies.
  • It can lead to Disruptive Change, where new technologies completely replace old ones, or Sustaining Change, which improves existing systems without replacing them.
  • It can be influenced by Technology Adoption Life Cycles, which describe how different groups in society adopt technology over time.
  • It can be affected by Technology Transfer mechanisms, where technology developed in one context is adapted for use in another, often involving cross-geographic or cross-sectoral adaptations.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • A Computerization Process.
  • An Industrial Revolution, which transformed economies from agrarian to manufacturing-based, leading to profound changes in work, social structures, and global trade.
  • A Digital Revolution, reshaping how humans communicate, work, and think, and restructuring entire industries around new technologies.
  • A Green Revolution, which involved the development and adoption of new agricultural technologies, leading to significant increases in crop yields and transforming rural economies and societies.
  • A Printing Press Revolution, which democratized access to information, fueled the spread of ideas, and contributed to major social and political changes.
  • An Artificial Intelligence Revolution, which is integrating AI into daily life and work, altering employment landscapes and societal functions.
  • A Scientific Revolution, which fundamentally changed the way humans understand and interact with the natural world.
  • A Mobile Communication Revolution, marked by the widespread adoption of mobile phones and smartphones, altering patterns of communication, access to information, and social interaction.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • The Scientific Method.
  • a Business Process.
• See: Moore's Law, Technological Unemployment, Technological Era, Technological Progress.

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References

2013

• (Wikipedia, 2013) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_change#change Retrieved:2013-11-30.
  • Technological change (TC) is a term that is used to describe the overall process of invention, innovation and diffusion of technology or processes. The term is synonymous with technological development, technological achievement, and technological progress. In essence TC is the invention of a technology (or a process), the continuous process of improving a technology (in which it often becomes cheaper) and its diffusion throughout industry or society. In short, technological change is based on both better and more technology.

2010

• (Acemoglu & Autor, 2010) ⇒ Daron Acemoglu, and David Autor. (2010). "Skills, Tasks and Technologies: Implications for Employment and Earnings." In: The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER 2010).
  • QUOTE: ... the interactions among worker skills, job tasks, evolving technologies, and shifting trading opportunities. We propose a tractable task-based model in which the assignment of skills to tasks is endogenous and technical change may involve the substitution of machines for certain tasks previously performed by labor. We further consider how the evolution of technology in this task-based setting may be endogenized. We show how such a framework can be used to interpret several central recent trends, and we also suggest further directions for empirical exploration.

2003

• (Levy et al., 2003) ⇒ David H. Autor, Frank Levy, and Richard J Murnane. (2003). “The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration.” In: The Quarterly Journal of Economics. doi:10.1162/003355303322552801

2002

• (Acemoglu, 2002) ⇒ Daron Acemoglu. (2002). “Directed technical change." The Review of Economic Studies 69(4).

1990

• (Tornatzky et al., 1990) ⇒ Louis G. Tornatzky, Mitchell Fleischer, and Alok K. Chakrabarti. (1990). “The processes of technological innovation.” In: Vol. 273. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books

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