EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY POLICY AND GLOBAL SCHUMPETER DYNAMICS - A SOCIAL-SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

A model of the development of contemporary industralized societies is presented. It amalgamates Luhmann's theory of systems with that of Sch umpeterian innovation. The theory shows that all political and other s ocietal operations are severely constrained by what, in this paper, is called globalizing Schumpeter Dynamics. This evolutionary and expansi onist development conflicts with the limited capabilities of the Earth . It is shown that all present policies of resource saving, recycling, material substitution, renewable resource development, eco-engineerin g and so on seem inadequate to cope with the ecological problems of th e next century. This is the background against which European technolo gy policy is analyzed. As with the policies of other industrial nation s and economic blocs, it obviously provides no way out of the dilemmas : growth and employment versus ecological destruction and North-South disparities. Even according to more restricted cost-benefit criteria, it seems to be deficient (nuclear energy, manned space flight, genetic engineering, and so on). But, in the light of the proposed theory of Schumpeter Dynamics, European technology policy cannot be basically di fferent from what it is because it is constrained by the growing globa l uniformity. The further evolution of Schumpeter Dynamics, in particu lar that induced by more severe ecological disasters in the next centu ry and their consequences (wars, epidemics, migrations, crime and so o n), may open entirely new vistas and policies.