Technological innovations--Political aspects
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Science & Technology Policy
"Technological revolutions have long been understood as one of the key factors affecting the rise of great powers. Yet when these dynamics have been studied, the focus tends to be on the moment of innovation--where was a key technology invented? In this book, Jeffrey Ding argues that it's not innovation but rather the way a technology diffuses through a country that determines whether and how it strengthens the state. The result is a new way to consider how technology and power have played out over history--and what this might mean for the future. To make this case, Ding first outlines a new theory that centers on not the creation of new technology but its spread across society, looking specifically at the role of education in promoting technological skill and literacy. He then shows how this approach changes our understanding of three canonical cases: Britian's rise during the first industrial revolution, America's rise during the second industrial revolution, and Japan's rise (and decline) during the third industrial revolution. He then expands out to consider what this theory would predict for the coming competition between the United States and China in an AI-driven fourth industrial revolution. The result is an ambitious, wide-ranging take on how technology shapes world order"-- Provided by publisher.
"A novel theory of how technological revolutions affect the rise and fall of great powers. When scholars and policymakers consider how technological advances affect the rise and fall of great powers, they draw on theories that center the moment of innovation-the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats. In this book, Jeffrey Ding offers a different explanation of how technological revolutions affect competition among great powers. Rather than focusing on which state first introduced major innovations, he instead investigates why some states were more successful than others at adapting and embracing new technologies at scale. Drawing on historical case studies of past industrial revolutions as well as statistical analysis, Ding develops a theory that emphasizes institutional adaptations oriented around diffusing technological advances throughout the entire economy.Examining Britain's rise to preeminence in the First Industrial Revolution, America and Germany's overtaking of Britain in the Second Industrial Revolution, and Japan's challenge to America's technological dominance in the Third Industrial Revolution (also known as the "information revolution"), Ding illuminates the pathway by which these technological revolutions influenced the global distribution of power and explores the generalizability of his theory beyond the given set of great powers. His findings bear directly on current concerns about how emerging technologies such as AI could influence the US-China power balance"-- Provided by publisher.
Ding, Jeffrey, 1993-. Technology and the rise of great powers
Princeton studies in international history and politics
GPT diffusion theory -- The first industrial revolution and Britain's rise -- The second industrial revolution and America's ascent -- Japan's challenge in the third industrial revolution -- A statistical analysis of software engineering skill infrastructure and computerization -- U.S.-China competition in AI and the fourth industrial revolution.