Transfers of Technology and Management Practices: Evidence from the Twentieth Century

Abstract

I discuss recent works that evaluate the effects of technology and knowledge transfers in the twentieth century. Less developed economies cyclically rely on such transfers to promote industrialization and close the gap with the most advanced countries. I focus on embodied technology transfers through capital goods; disembodied transfers via patents, licensing, and worker mobility; the diffusion of managerial know-how; and industrial policy interventions. The analysis highlights the central role of absorptive capacity—human capital, institutional quality, and organizational capability—in determining whether transfers yield lasting productivity gains.