Technology diffusion policy: a review and classification of policy practices

With the advent of a knowledge-based economy, the notion of technology diff usion is an important piece of recent innovation research. Based on an exte nsive dataset of 19 national profiles, this article provides an evolutionar y survey on the changes in technology diffusion practices and presents some classification schemes for policy practices. It is found that the policy f ramework perspective has widened and the mode of policy measures has divers ified over the last three decades. Regardless of idiosyncratic profiles, ad vanced countries now consider technology diffusion to be a critical part of macro-technology policy and an essential element of national systems of in novation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.