Technology and Regional Development: A Survey

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the role of technology and technological change in regional development. Three specific themes are identified. First, traditional approaches to technology include those found in models of regional growth, in analyses of innovation diffusion, and in economic analysis of technological change. Second, recent research on regional development has involved technology from two perspectives—that of regional economic structure and that of innovation in the strategies and management of large corporations. Third, the underdevelopment of Third World countries has been attributed in part to technological dependence. The possibilities are abundant for research that would add to current understanding of regional development in an age of rapid technological change.