Technology and the rise of great powers How diffusion shapes economic competition

Jeffrey Ding, 1993-

Book - 2024

"Technological revolutions have long been understood as one of the key factors affecting the rise of great powers. Yet when these dynamics have been studied, the focus tends to be on the moment of innovation--where was a key technology invented? In this book, Jeffrey Ding argues that it's not innovation but rather the way a technology diffuses through a country that determines whether and how it strengthens the state. The result is a new way to consider how technology and power have played out over history--and what this might mean for the future. To make this case, Ding first outlines a new theory that centers on not the creation of new technology but its spread across society, looking specifically at the role of education in pro...moting technological skill and literacy. He then shows how this approach changes our understanding of three canonical cases: Britian's rise during the first industrial revolution, America's rise during the second industrial revolution, and Japan's rise (and decline) during the third industrial revolution. He then expands out to consider what this theory would predict for the coming competition between the United States and China in an AI-driven fourth industrial revolution. The result is an ambitious, wide-ranging take on how technology shapes world order"-- more