Economic growth and technological change : an evolutionary interpretation

This paper provides a perspective from evolutionary economic theory on recent growth differences in the OECD area. The empirical analysis contained in the paper offers a number of findings. First, the United States seems to be diverging from the other OECD countries, while the latter are still, by and large, converging to the OECD average. Second, the estimated model of evolutionary growth suggests that convergence based on the assimilation of foreign technology is becoming a more active process. R&D now seems to be crucial for catching-up and is no longer an activity that is unequivocally associated with moving the world technological frontier. Third, differences between countries in terms of pure technological competencies, i.e. patenting, have become more important in explaining growth differentials. These trends suggest that the absorption of foreign technology requires more active efforts, and that technological differences between countries translate more easily ... Croissance economique et changement technologique : Une interpretation evolutionniste Ce document fournit la perspective de theorie economique evolutionniste sur les differences recentes de croissance entre les pays de l’OCDE. L’analyse empirique menee dans le rapport offre un certain nombre de resultats. En premier lieu, les Etats-Unis semblent diverger des autres pays de l’OCDE, alors que ces derniers convergent, generalement, vers la moyenne de l’OCDE. Deuxiemement, le modele evolutionniste de croissance estime suggere que la convergence basee sur l’assimilation de la technologie etrangere devient un processus plus actif. La R-D semble maintenant etre cruciale pour rattraper un retard et n’est plus une activite qui vise systematiquement a deplacer la frontiere technologique du monde. Troisiemement, les differences entre les pays en termes de competences technologiques pures, c’est-a-dire les depots de brevets, sont devenues plus importantes dans l’explication des differentiels de croissance. Ces tendances suggerent que l’absorption de la technologie etrangere exige ...