Origins and pathways of innovation in the third industrial revolution

Abstract

This study examines the factors that shaped the long-term evolution of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in Sweden, 1950-2013. Using a new historical microdatabase on actual innovation output, the driving forces and technological interdependencies in the third industrial revolution are chronicled. The results of this study support some stylized facts about technological Interdependencies in general-purpose technologies: a closely knitted set of industries has provided positive and negative driving forces for the development of ICT innovations. The historical evolution of GPTs can in this perspective be described as a sequence of development blocks.