This is the first book to comprehensibly describe how technology has shaped society and the environment over the last 200 years. It will be useful for researchers, as a textbook for graduate students, for people engaged in long-term policy planning in industry and government, for environmental activists, and for the wider public interested in history, technology, or environmental issues.

Much is written in the popular literature about the current pace of technological change. But do we have enough scientific knowledge about the sources and management of innovation to properly inform policymaking in technology dependent domains such as energy and the environment? While it is agreed that technological change does not 'fall from heaven like autumn leaves,' the theory, data, and models are deficient. The specific mechanisms that govern the rate and direction of inventive activity, the drivers and scope for incremental improvements that occur during technology diffusion, and the spillover effects that cross-fertilize technological innovations remain poorly understood. In a work that will interest serious readers of history, policy, and economics, the editors and their distinguished contributors offer a unique, single volume overview of the theoretical and empirical work on technological change. Beginning with a survey of existing research, they provide analysis and case studies in contexts such as medicine, agriculture, and power generation, paying particular attention to what technological change means for efficiency, productivity, and reduced environmental impacts. The book includes a historical analysis of technological change, an examination of the overall direction of technological change, and general theories about the sources of change. The contributors empirically test hypotheses of induced innovation and theories of institutional innovation. They propose ways to model induced technological change and evaluate its impact, and they consider issues such as uncertainty in technology returns, technology crossover effects, and clustering. A copublication o Resources for the Future (RFF) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

The authors offer a broad-based development strategy to raise incomes through agricultural productivity growth and expanded rural employment. They present rich new information on the rural informal sector and on agriculture-industry interactions, and they analyze the impact of macroeconomic and social policies on the rural economy. Policy instruments aimed at bringing about broad-based development are carefully assessed - from fiscal policy to development of new seeds and farm implements.

Technological Learning in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Energy System: Conceptual Issues, Empirical Findings, and Use in Energy Modeling quantifies key trends and drivers of energy technologies deployed in the energy transition. It uses the experience curve tool to show how future cost reductions and cumulative deployment of these technologies may shape the future mix of the electricity, heat and transport sectors. The book explores experience curves in detail, including possible pitfalls, and demonstrates how to quantify the 'quality' of experience curves. It discusses how this tool is implemented in models and addresses methodological challenges and solutions. For each technology, current market trends, past cost reductions and underlying drivers, available experience curves, and future prospects are considered. Electricity, heat and transport sector models are explored in-depth to show how the future deployment of these technologies—and their associated costs—determine whether ambitious decarbonization climate targets can be reached - and at what costs. The book also addresses lessons and recommendations for policymakers, industry and academics, including key technologies requiring further policy support, and what scientific knowledge gaps remain for future research. - Provides a comprehensive overview of trends and drivers for major energy technologies expected to play a role in the energy transition - Delivers data on cost trends, helping readers gain insights on how competitive energy technologies may become, and why - Reviews the use of learning curves in environmental impacts for lifecycle assessments and energy modeling - Features social learning for cost modeling and technology diffusion, including where consumer preferences play a major role

The 4th International Conference on Economic Management and Big Data Applications was successfully held in Tianjin, China from October 27th to 29th, 2023. This conference served as a platform for researchers, scholars, and industry professionals to exchange knowledge and insights in the field of economic management and the application of big data. The conference held great significance in advancing the understanding and application of economic management and big data. By bringing together experts from around the globe, the conference facilitated the exchange of innovative ideas and research findings, contributing to the development of these fields. The topics covered during the conference showcased the latest advancements and trends in enterprise economic statistics, information evaluation, blockchain technology, industrial structure optimization, information retrieval, data regression analysis, intelligent Internet of Things platforms, and data encryption. The discussions and presentations during the conference allowed participants to explore new methodologies, strategies, and technologies that can enhance economic management practices and leverage the potential of big data. The conference provided a platform for scholars and practitioners to share their experiences, insights, and best practices, fostering collaboration and networking opportunities. Furthermore, the proceedings were published, ensuring the dissemination of valuable research findings to a wider audience. The collective knowledge and research presented at the conference will contribute to the academic community, industry professionals, and policymakers, enabling them to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies in the fields of economic management and big data applications. Overall, the 4th International Conference on Economic Management and Big Data Applications played a pivotal role in promoting knowledge exchange, fostering innovation, and shaping the future of economic management by harnessing the power of big data.

The management of technological innovation (MTI) is one of the most important challenges facing businesses today. Innovation has become the fundamental driver of competitiveness for firms of all sizes in virtually all business sectors and nations. The first edition of this book has become one of the most popular texts for students of innovation and technology management. This new edition sees David Gann and Ammon Salter join Mark Dodgson as authors, drawing on their combined experience of 60 years of researching and teaching MTI. It combines the most relevant theoretical analysis with contemporary and historical empirical evidence to provide a comprehensive, yet concise and readable, guide to the challenges of MTI. By explaining the innovation process the book reveals the broad scope of MTI and its importance for company survival, growth and sustainability. It describes how MTI has to be managed strategically and how this is successfully achieved by formulating and implementing strategy and delivering value. Chapters provide frameworks, tools and techniques, and case studies on managing: innovation strategy, communities, and networks, R&D, design and new product and service development, operations and production, and commercialization. Based on robust analysis, the book provides a wide range of empirical evidence from a huge diversity of case studies, with around fifty case studies newly written for this edition. It analyses MTI in all parts of the world, in companies large and small, and in services, manufacturing, and resource-based business sectors. This new edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest teaching and research, and to ensure its continuing relevance to the contemporary world of MTI. It will be an important resource for academics, students, and managers throughout the world, is a recommended text for students of innovation and technology management at postgraduate and undergraduate level, and is particularly valuable for MBA courses.