ICT technologies in Europe: A study of technological diffusion and economic growth under network theory

The sector of Information and Communication Technologies is one of the key instruments for the development of an economy. The literature emphasizes its capacity for both increasing productivity and generating new sources of income and wealth (Jorgenson, 2001; Colecchia and Schereyer, 2002; among others). Traditionally studies on the ICT sector have focused on the analysis of its economic impact, but not on its capacity as a “bridge” of information and knowledge flows across the economic network. Following Burt’s approach (1992) about structural holes, the organization of the economic network defines where and for whom new opportunities lie. The structural hole methodology allows to analyze the capacity of the ICT sector as an enabler of technological diffusion and innovation. Our results show that the European ICT sector not only is important for its intermediary role in the flow of information across the economic network, but also for its low level of dependency on other sectors.