Technology and the Market: Demand, Users and Innovation

The interplay between demand from the market, the role of users in shaping that demand, and the way in which these factors influence the innovation process has always been a complex one. This work examines this interplay from a technological change perspective. The contributors explore the potential for "rapprochement" between economics, sociological and other social science disciplines in considering the allocation of resources and the making of decisions about technological change. The papers within this book represent a judicious blend of theory and empirical research and look at a broad range of innovations, markets and technologies in medicine, agriculture and food production, services and IT. The work raises the question of the many "visible hands" that are involved in linking technology and the market together.