Innovation Waves, Self-organised Criticalityudand Technological Convergence.

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolutionary processudof imitation and innovation as a process of searching in a given neighbourhoodudof firms. Networks are the main source of information for firmsudwilling to actively search and upgrade and which define the reachableudneighbourhood whose width is strictly related to cognitive distance. Weudhave identified two major forms of information setting off innovative behaviour:udthe first comes in the shape of random events which are exogenous,udat least in terms of the firms’ own search activity, while the second isuddetermined by searching for technological opportunities in other economicudsectors. It is this activity that generates the spreading of a new technologicaludparadigm and that makes for technological convergence. All firms areuda heterogeneous set of agents bounded by their competence, technologicaludspecificity and, more generally, rationality. The spreading of informationudthrough cognitive neighbourhoods allows firms to gradually acquire fulludknowledge leading to innovation waves. Imitation follows innovation asudfirms attempt to glean information on best practise techniques to join theirudsector technological leaders. Whilst innovators are temporarily allowed toudreap quasi rents the imitative band wagon effect drives the profit rateuddown to its normal level. Productivity growth lowers the prices of sectorsudinvolved in the process of technological advance causing obsolescence and,udthus, creative destruction in a Schumpeterian sense.