General purpose technologies

Description:

"Electricity and Information Technology (IT) are perhaps the two most important general purpose technologies (GPTs) to date. We analyze how the U.S. economy reacted to them. The Electricity and IT eras are similar, but also differ in several important ways. Electrification was more broadly adopted, whereas IT seems to be technologically more "revolutionary." The productivity slowdown is stronger in the IT era but the ongoing spread of IT and its continuing precipitous price decline are reasons for optimism about growth in the 21st century"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.

subjects: Economic aspects of Electricity,  Economic aspects of Information technology,  Economic development,  Effect of technological innovations on,  Electricity,  Information technology

Places: United States