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Cambridge Journal of Economics Advance Access published online on July 1, 2009
Cambridge Journal of Economics, doi:10.1093/cje/bep041
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved.

On the nature of technologies: knowledge, procedures, artifacts and production inputs

Giovanni Dosi and Marco Grazzi*

* LEM, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa and Visiting Professor, University of Manchester (GD) and LEM, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa and Free University of Bozen (MG)

Address for correspondence: Giovanni Dosi, Piazza Martiri della Liberta’, 33 Pisa, Italy; email: gdosi{at}sssup.it

In the most general terms, a technology can be seen as a human-constructed means for achieving a particular end, such as the movement of goods and people, the transmission of information or the cure of a disease. These means most often entail procedures regarding how to achieve the ends concerned, particular bits of knowledge, artifacts and of course specific physical inputs necessary to yield the desired outcomes. In fact, the procedures and the underlying knowledge they draw upon, the physical and intangible inputs implicated, and the performance characteristics of outputs are different but complementary aspects of what technology is. These things are the object of this short essay.

Key Words: Technology • Ontology • Production theory

JEL classifications: A10, L20, O30

Manuscript received April 17, 2008; final version received May 14, 2009.


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