Introduction

Over the past twelve years the aim of Sweden’s Technological Systems (STS) project has been to identify the role of technology in economic growth. While the importance of technology is generally accepted, its role in the economic growth process continues to be only partially understood. The interdependencies between technological change and economic growth become particularly important when the rate and scope of technological change increase. Under these conditions there is a risk that the institutions, policies, and organizations, as well as the concepts and perceptions on which they are based, become obsolete.