| By: |
Peter B. Meyer (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
| Abstract: |
The process of developing technology through open discussion has been called
collective invention. Open source software projects have this form. This paper
documents two earlier episodes of collective invention and proposes a general
model based on search theory. One episode was the development of mass
production steel in the U.S. (1866-1885), and the second with early personal
computers (1975-1985). Technical people openly discussed and shared these
developing technologies between firms. Collective invention episodes begin
with an invention or a change in legal restrictions. Hobbyists and startup
firms experiment with practical methods of production and share their results
through a social network whose members gradually form a new industry. The
network itself may disappear if the firms then keep their R&D secret. A model
of an innovation search can describe this process if it is expanded to include
independent hobbyists and consultants as well as profit-seeking firms. |
| Keywords: |
technological change, uncertainty, search, innovation |
| JEL: |
O31 O34 N10 D83 |
| Date: |
2003–08 |
| URL: |
http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bls:wpaper:ec030050&r=net |