Technology Adoption and the Emergence of Regional Asymmetries

The model explains the emergence of asymmetric productive structures among regions based on adoption of a quality improving technology. Firms' products are differentiated both in location and quality, location is given. We characterize symmetric and asymmetric equilibria of the two stage game in price and adoption. Asymmetric equilibria display partial adoption frequencies and regular geographical patterns of adoptions. The asymmetry of the economy has, often, a reverse U-shaped relation with the innovation size. Market integration is an obstacle for the full adoption of the new technology and favours the emergence of regional asymmetries