Technological progress is a major factor chaping economic growth.
Today's standard of living is a direct result of scientific advances and
technical change in the past. Since uncontrolled technological progress
has become amenace to our well- being and may actually threat our
survival, it is necessary to learn to manage technological progress and
direct innovative activities in such a manner that both private wants
and social needs playa dominant role in determining the rate and
direction of technical change. This requires a better understanding of
the processes of technical change, of their impact on and
interrelationships with economic and social developments and of the
means and measures by which both individuals and governments can
influence and direct technological progress. To this end, the Ninistry
for Research and Technology of the Federal Republ ic of Germany and the
National Science Foundation of the Uni ted States of America invited a
group of scholars, corporate managers and civil servants to a one week
seminar on "Technolo- gical Innovation". The seminar took place in
April, 1976, in Bonn, Federal Republ ic of Germany. Most papers
presented at this meeting were specifically prepared for the seminar.
With this volume, they are made available to a larger audience to
further stimulate discussion not only among scholars interested in
innovation research and technology policy questions but also among
managers, union officials, civil ser- vants and others directly or
indirectly concerned with and affected by technical change.