Technological revolutions and culture: the vision of Carlota Perez
Technological transitions represent complex processes that intertwine innovation, economy, and culture. Carlota Perez, a prominent economist, analyzes these transitions as evolutionary cycles in which the development of an appropriate lifestyle and culture is an essential prerequisite for the diffusion and adoption of new technologies.
The Stages of Technological Transitions
Perez identifies two main phases in each cycle of technological innovation:
- Technology Production Phase: In this phase, new technologies emerge, often driven by innovators and significant investments in the private sector. It is characterized by rapid and experimental innovation, with multiple competing technologies, and by high economic and social instability due to uncertainty about the actual utility of the technologies. For example, during the industrial revolution, the initial development of the steam engine and railways revolutionized the production landscape, but only some of these innovations established themselves in the long term.
- Penetration and Absorption Phase: The most useful technologies that are compatible with cultural values are adopted and integrated into society. This phase involves the adaptation of infrastructures and social models to incorporate technologies, economic stabilization through the widespread diffusion of innovations, and changes in cultural values to align with new technologies. An emblematic example is the integration of the automobile and electricity in the 20th century, which transformed lifestyles and work models.
The Role of Culture in Technological Development
According to Perez, the effective diffusion of a new technology requires the development of a lifestyle and culture that facilitate its adoption. Society acts as a filter, selecting technologies that align with its cultural values or that solve concrete problems.
This selection process is accompanied by a co-evolution between technology and culture. Technologies that are compatible with the dominant principles of a society tend to find greater acceptance. For example, in Europe, the adoption of renewable energies reflects a strong commitment to sustainability. At the same time, technology not only adapts to existing values but often modifies them, introducing new paradigms. The advent of the Internet, for example, has redefined concepts such as privacy and sociality. In this process, technology and culture influence each other, creating new balances that reflect the needs and aspirations of each era.
Duration of Technological Transitions
Perez estimates that each cycle of technological revolution lasts between 40 and 70 years. This estimate is based on the historical analysis of previous technological revolutions, such as the industrial revolution, the age of steam and railways, the age of electricity and steel, the age of oil and the automobile, and the age of information and telecommunications. Each cycle includes an initial phase of incursion, followed by a frenzy phase, a synergy phase, and finally, a maturity phase.
The Case of the Green Transition
The current transition towards a green economy represents a concrete example of the model described by Perez. Initially characterized by intense technological experimentation (renewable energies, electric mobility, sustainable agriculture), this transition is now entering the absorption phase. Societies are adapting infrastructures and consumption models, consolidating values such as environmental responsibility and sustainable consumption.
Ultimately, Carlota Perez’s vision offers an in-depth perspective on technological transitions, highlighting the importance of culture and lifestyle as preconditions for the diffusion of new technologies. Through the dynamic interaction between innovation, economy, and culture, societies filter, integrate, and ultimately stabilize new technologies, creating emerging values that will guide the future. In the context of the green transition, this vision offers an optimistic perspective on how innovation and sustainability can converge into a new model of inclusive and conscious growth.
Bibliographic References
- Carlota Perez, Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2002.
- Carlota Perez, A Smart Green ‘European Way of Life’: The Path for Growth, Jobs and Wellbeing, Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2021.
- Carlota Perez, Why It’s Time for Green Growth, MIT Technology Review, 2020.
- Techeconomy2030, Six Great Waves of Innovation: The Sixth is the One of Sustainability, Techeconomy2030.it, 2022.
Freeman, C. & Perez, C., Structural Crises of Adjustment: Business Cycles and Investment Behaviour, in Technical Change and Economic Theory, Pinter Publishers, 1988.
