Technological Paradigms, Patterns of Learning and Development: An Introductory Roadmap.

This paper presents an evolutionary microeconomic theory of innovation and production and discusses its implications for development theory. Using the notions of technological paradigm and trajectory, it develops an alternative view of firm behavior and learning. It is shown then how these are embedded in broader national systems of innovation which account for persistent differences in technological capacities between countries. Finally, this "bottom-up" evolutionary analysis is linked with an institutional "top-down" approach and the potential fruitfulness of this dialogue is demonstrated.