Perspectives on Technological Change and the Process of Diffusion in the Manufacturing Sector

Interest in technological change arises out of a search for answers to such comprehensive questions as to how and why manufacturing industries come into being, grow, and decline at various rates. What are the processes involved? What are the reasons for the establishment and growth patterns of plants and industries in specific parts of geographic space? Anyone who has been engaged in such search appreciates the significance of technological change in its influence upon the birth and death of plants, firms, and industries, and upon the viability of plants and industries in specific locations. A knowledge of the nature of the influences of technological change and its relationships to other explanatory variables provides the information and insights we need for a better understanding of the role of technological change in a multiplicity of processes-social change, industrial growth, and structural change-and in the locational arrangements and behavior of plants, firms, and industries. A review of the literature reveals an increased interest in technological