Technology Diffusion
Title
Technology Diffusion
Author
Jaffe, Adam B.
Research Area
Social Processes
Topic
Technology
Abstract
Technology diffusion is the process by which new technologies are adopted for use across individual firms or households in a given market, and across different markets. The most salient facts about this process are that it always plays out over time, and the time before adoption is widespread varies greatly across technologies. The dominant explanations for gradual adoption are the time needed for information about the technology to diffuse, and heterogeneity among adopters, such that those for whom the benefits of the new technologies adopt first, while those for whom the benefits are less wait until the technology has improved and/or its cost has fallen. Research has focused on the nature of the information diffusion process, and the attributes of firms and households that affect their adoption decisions. Promising areas for new research include the application of insights ad methods from behavioral economics, the linking of formal models to empirical research, the diffusion of technology to less developed countries and its role in economic development, and public policy issues related to technology diffusion in important sectors such as health care and global climate change.