Structural Economic Dynamics – A Theory of the Economic Consequences of Human Learning

This book is a theoretical investigation of the influence of human learning on economic development through time of a 'pure labour' economy. The theory proposed is a simple one, but aims to grasp essential features of the industrial economies. Economists have long known that two basic phenomena lie at the root of long-term economic movements in industrial societies: capital accumulation and technical progress, but attention has generally been concentrated on the former. In this book, by contrast, technical progress is assigned the central role. Within a multi-sector framework, the author examines the structural dynamics of prices, production, and employment (implied by differentiated rates of productivity growth and of expansion of demand) against a background of 'natural' relations. The author also considers a number of problems that arise at the institutional level. Individuals and social learning, know-how, and the diffusion of knowledge emerge as the decisive factors accounting for the success or failure of industrial societies. Paperback version available (2008). Italian version : Dinamica economica strutturale - Un'indagine teorica sulle conseguenze economiche dell'apprendimento umano, Bologna: il Mulino, 1993. Japanese translation:Tokyo: Nihon Keizai Hyôron-sha, 1998.