This setting lets you change the way you view articles. You can choose to have articles open in a dialog window, a new tab, or directly in the same window.
Open in Dialog
Open in New Tab
Open in same window

American Economic Review: Vol. 100 No. 5 (December 2010)

AER Volume. 100, Issue 5 | leftPrevious ArticleNext Articleright

Expand

Quick Tools:

Print Article Summary Email Link to this Article Export Citation
Sign up for Email Alerts Follow us on Twitter

Explore:

AER - All Issues

AER Forthcoming Articles

An Exploration of Technology Diffusion

Article Citation

Comin, Diego, and Bart Hobijn. 2010. "An Exploration of Technology Diffusion." American Economic Review, 100(5): 2031-59.

DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.5.2031

Abstract

We develop a model that, at the aggregate level, is similar to the one-sector neoclassical growth model; at the disaggregate level, it has implications for the path of observable measures of technology adoption. We estimate it using data on the diffusion of 15 technologies in 166 countries over the last two centuries. Our results reveal that, on average, countries have adopted technologies 45 years after their invention. There is substantial variation across technologies and countries. Newer technologies have been adopted faster than old ones. The cross-country variation in the adoption of technologies accounts for at least 25 percent of per capita income differences. (JEL O33, O41, O47)

Article Full-Text Access

Full-text Article

Additional Materials

Download Data Set (6.79 MB) | Online Appendix (143.55 KB)

Authors

Comin, Diego (Harvard U)
Hobijn, Bart (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)

JEL Classifications

O33: Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
O41: One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
O47: Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence


American Economic Review



AEA Member Login:


Quick Tools:

Email Link to this Issue

Sign up for Email Alerts

Follow us on Twitter

Subscription Information
(Institutional Administrator Access)

Explore:

AER - All Issues

AER - Forthcoming Articles

AEA Journals

Virtual Field Journals

AEAweb | AEA Journals | Contact Us