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Diffusion of Technology

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Abstract

The diffusion of technology has a major impact on per-capita income. Moreover, international convergence turns on whether technology diffusion is local or global. This article characterizes the creation of technological knowledge and discusses the primary determinants of diffusion. It is shown that even today technology diffusion is to an important degree local, allowing for many technological knowledge levels in the world to coexist. This article focuses on the data and empirical methods employed in the estimation of diffusion patterns.

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© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

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Keller, W. (2018). Diffusion of Technology. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_310

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