Publication Date:
2014-02-18
Description:
This article analyzes factors shaping technological capabilities in USA and European countries, and shows that the differences between the two continents in this respect are much smaller than commonly assumed. The analysis demonstrates a tendency toward convergence in technological capabilities for the sample as a whole between 1998 and 2008. The results indicate that social capabilities, such as well-developed public knowledge infrastructure, an egalitarian distribution of income, a participatory democracy and prevalence of public safety condition the growth of technological capabilities. Possible effects of other factors, such as agglomeration, urbanization, industrial specialization, migration and knowledge spillovers are also considered.
Keywords:
O32 - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D, O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences
;
Diffusion Processes, R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, and Changes, R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity
Print ISSN:
1468-2702
Electronic ISSN:
1468-2710
Topics:
Geography
,
Economics
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