| This dissertation investigates the role of technological innovation in economic growth. It provides a series of empirical studies of the evolution patterns of national and technological innovation systems and the impacts of institutional and geographical factors on international technology diffusion. In doing so, several quantitative analysis tools, such as regression analysis, cluster analysis, and various indexes in measuring convergence, inequality, spatial autocorrelation, structural similarity, and technology specialization, are employed. The data sample covers over one hundred developed and developing countries.; It is found that total factor productivity (TFP) contributes a large part of the growth in GDP and the standard of living and the evolution patterns of inequality in GDP per capita, labor productivity, and TFP are homogenous and affected by distribution of countries in terms of geographical locations. Empirics of the evolution of national and sectoral innovation systems show that industrial innovations in different sectors have different patterns in their global distribution and structural similarity and national innovation systems differ greatly in the evolutions of sectoral distribution and structural similarity. With regard to the role of international technology diffusion, it is found that both the domestic knowledge base and inflows of foreign technology contribute heavily to a nation's innovative capacity and the contribution varies from sector to sector. Generally, high quality of institutions stimulates international technology diffusion and distance between nations is negatively related with the international flows of technology knowledge. It is important that governments put efforts on encouraging technological innovation and imitation. However, the policy tools used will differ by country and by sector. |
