Abstract
An economy’s technological performance is based on a number of factors. The ability to transform new ideas, products and processes into economic wealth and social prosperity is of central importance in this regard. The ability and willingness of firms to pursue innovation, the conditions underlying the implementation and dissemination of new technologies, and the existence of a broad knowledge base within an economy play as much a role as do macroeconomic developments and general framework conditions. This large number of qualifiers also explains why it is not possible to draw a picture of an economy’s technological performance using just one “point of departure.” Rather, a variety of indicators must be used to depict the development of those parts of an economy that are pertinent to an assessment of technological performance. Only when these indicators are viewed on an overall basis is it possible to use them to describe and assess the current situation and prospective trends.
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© 2000 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg
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Legler, H., Licht, G., Spielkamp, A. (2000). Basic Concepts. In: Germany’s Technological Performance. ZEW Economic Studies, vol 8. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59805-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59805-0_4
Publisher Name: Physica-Verlag HD
Print ISBN: 978-3-7908-1281-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59805-0
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