Events at Stanford
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22:46 Jan 13, 2022
Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2022. 10:00 AM. Location: Zoom Speaker: Jeffrey Ding, HAI-CISAC Postdoctoral Fellow Abstract: How do technological revolutions affect the rise and fall of great powers? Scholars have long observed that major technological breakthroughs disrupt the economic balance of power, bringing about a power transition. However, there has been surprisingly limited investigation into how this process occurs. Existing studies establish that a nation’s success in adapting to revolutionary technologies is determined by the fit between its institutions and the demands of these technologies. The standard explanation emphasizes institutional factors best suited for monopolizing innovation in new, fast-growing industries (leading sectors). Jeff proposes an alternative mechanism based on the diffusion of general-purpose technologies (GPTs), which presents a different trajectory for countries to leapfrog the industrial leader. Characterized by their potential for continuous improvement, pervasiveness, ...