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There is a strong consensus that the climate is changing, that human activities are the dominant cause of this change, and that continued climate change will have negative impacts on human societies. To analyze energy and climate policy remedies, researchers have developed a diverse collection of integrated assessment models (IAMs) that represent the linked energy, economic, and earth systems in an interdisciplinary framework. Some IAMs are cost-benefit models designed to compute optimal policy interventions, while others are cost-effectiveness models used to determine the technology pathways that enable an emissions or climate goal to be achieved at least cost. Although IAM representations of technological change are critical determinants of model outcomes, underlying processes are poorly understood and models typically feature fairly crude formulations. The goal of the three projects that constitute this dissertation is to develop more advanced representations of technological change that capture a wider range of endogenous drivers. Scenario analyses based on these representations reveal their implications for energy and climate policy, as well as technology transitions this century. Chapter 2 describes the development of a system of technology diffusion constraints that endogenously respects empirically observed spatial diffusion patterns. Technologies diffuse from an advanced core to less technologically adept regions, with adoption experiences in the former determining adoption possibilities in the latter. Endogenous diffusion constraints are incorporated into the MESSAGE framework and results suggest that IAMs based on standard exogenous diffusion formulations are overly optimistic about technology leapfrogging potential in developing countries. Findings also demonstrate that policies which stimulate initial deployment of low-carbon technologies in advanced economies can be justified from a global common goods perspective even if they fail the cost-benefit test domestically. In Chapter 3, learning-by-doing is formulated as a firm-level rather than an industry-level phenomenon. Wind and solar PV manufacturers strategically choose output levels in an oligopoly game with learning and inter-firm spillovers. This game-theoretic representation of renewable technology markets is coupled to MESSAGE so that the energy system planner can only invest in wind and solar PV capacity at the equilibrium prices the market would charge for the desired quantities. Findings illustrate that the most ambitious emissions reduction pathways include widespread solar PV diffusion, which only occurs if competitive markets and spillovers combine to reduce prices sufficiently. The relationship between price and cumulative capacity is similar to that between unit cost and cumulative capacity under competitive markets, but a combination of market power, strong climate policy, and weak spillovers can cause prices to rise with cumulative capacity even though unit costs decline. The bilevel modeling framework of Chapter 4 is built to determine the optimal combination of technology-push and demand-pull subsidies for a given technology policy application. Firms (inner agents) solve a two-stage stochastic profit maximization problem in which they choose process and product R & D investments in the first stage, then choose output levels in the second stage. The policymaker (outer agent) seeks to identify the combination of policies that induces the firms to reach an equilibrium with the highest possible expected welfare. Numerical simulation results show that technology policy can enhance welfare under a wide range of parameter settings. Spillovers reduce product R & D expenditures but generally improve welfare by making R & D more effective. Welfare decreases with competition in the no-policy case, but increases with competition if optimal technology policies can be imposed. Each of the three projects focuses on a distinct aspect of technological change, but the formulations developed for these studies reflect several important themes: endogenous mechanisms, multiple decision-making agents, game-theoretic interactions, market power, spillovers, regional heterogeneity, and uncertainty. While the research presented in this dissertation advances the modeling of technological change, a number of formidable challenges remain. The final chapter discusses some of these challenges and ideas for future research to address them.
Much is written in the popular literature about the current pace of technological change. But do we have enough scientific knowledge about the sources and management of innovation to properly inform policymaking in technology dependent domains such as energy and the environment? While it is agreed that technological change does not 'fall from heaven like autumn leaves,' the theory, data, and models are deficient. The specific mechanisms that govern the rate and direction of inventive activity, the drivers and scope for incremental improvements that occur during technology diffusion, and the spillover effects that cross-fertilize technological innovations remain poorly understood. In a work that will interest serious readers of history, policy, and economics, the editors and their distinguished contributors offer a unique, single volume overview of the theoretical and empirical work on technological change. Beginning with a survey of existing research, they provide analysis and case studies in contexts such as medicine, agriculture, and power generation, paying particular attention to what technological change means for efficiency, productivity, and reduced environmental impacts. The book includes a historical analysis of technological change, an examination of the overall direction of technological change, and general theories about the sources of change. The contributors empirically test hypotheses of induced innovation and theories of institutional innovation. They propose ways to model induced technological change and evaluate its impact, and they consider issues such as uncertainty in technology returns, technology crossover effects, and clustering. A copublication o Resources for the Future (RFF) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).
"This book provides high quality, effective approaches to design, develop, maintain, evaluate, and benchmark adaptive and dependable systems that are built to sustain quality of service and experience despite the occurrence of potentially significant and sudden changes or failures in their infrastructure and surrounding environments"--Provided by publisher.
Much is written in the popular literature about the current pace of technological change. But do we have enough scientific knowledge about the sources and management of innovation to properly inform policymaking in technology dependent domains such as energy and the environment? While it is agreed that technological change does not 'fall from heaven like autumn leaves,' the theory, data, and models are deficient. The specific mechanisms that govern the rate and direction of inventive activity, the drivers and scope for incremental improvements that occur during technology diffusion, and the spillover effects that cross-fertilize technological innovations remain poorly understood. In a work that will interest serious readers of history, policy, and economics, the editors and their distinguished contributors offer a unique, single volume overview of the theoretical and empirical work on technological change. Beginning with a survey of existing research, they provide analysis and case studies in contexts such as medicine, agriculture, and power generation, paying particular attention to what technological change means for efficiency, productivity, and reduced environmental impacts. The book includes a historical analysis of technological change, an examination of the overall direction of technological change, and general theories about the sources of change. The contributors empirically test hypotheses of induced innovation and theories of institutional innovation. They propose ways to model induced technological change and evaluate its impact, and they consider issues such as uncertainty in technology returns, technology crossover effects, and clustering. A copublication o Resources for the Future (RFF) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).
Traditionally, economists have considered the accumulation of conventional inputs such as labour and capital to be the primary force behind economic growth. In the late-1990s however, many economists place technological progress at the centre of the growth process. This shift is due to theoretical developments that allow researchers to link microeconomic outcomes.
"This book is a reference guide to the theory and research supporting the field of Technology and Innovation Management"--Provided by publisher.
The development of technologies to modify natural human physical and cognitive performance is one of increasing interest and concern, especially among military services that may be called on to defeat foreign powers with enhanced warfighter capabilities. Human performance modification (HPM) is a general term that can encompass actions ranging from the use of "natural" materials, such as caffeine or khat as a stimulant, to the application of nanotechnology as a drug delivery mechanism or in an invasive brain implant. Although the literature on HPM typically addresses methods that enhance performance, another possible focus is methods that degrade performance or negatively affect a military force's ability to fight. Advances in medicine, biology, electronics, and computation have enabled an increasingly sophisticated ability to modify the human body, and such innovations will undoubtedly be adopted by military forces, with potential consequences for both sides of the battle lines. Although some innovations may be developed for purely military applications, they are increasingly unlikely to remain exclusively in that sphere because of the globalization and internationalization of the commercial research base. Based on its review of the literature, the presentations it received and on its own expertise, the Committee on Assessing Foreign Technology Development in Human Performance Modification chose to focus on three general areas of HPM: human cognitive modification as a computational problem, human performance modification as a biological problem, and human performance modification as a function of the brain-computer interface. Human Performance Modification: Review of Worldwide Research with a View to the Future summarizes these findings.
This text illuminates the contemporary issues and technologies related to the economic evaluation and justification of advanced technologies. Included are modern tools, as well as application-based cases that demonstrate the use of these tools. Students, researchers and decision makers will benefit from this useful resource.
In this book, fifteen prominent scholars of the economy, business, and technology argue that technical change can fruitfully be interpreted as an institutionally structured learning process. These essays show that the analysis of knowledge-generating institutions - including firms, industries, patenting systems, and occupations - provides important insights into the pace, direction, and persistence of technological change. The authors use these insights to both reshape economic theory and reinterpret the economic development of Britain, the USA, Germany and Japan.
This is the first book to comprehensibly describe how technology has shaped society and the environment over the last 200 years. It will be useful for researchers, as a textbook for graduate students, for people engaged in long-term policy planning in industry and government, for environmental activists, and for the wider public interested in history, technology, or environmental issues.