Knowledge that Transforms

Forty-six years ago when various social theories, pregnant with nineteenth century optimism, postulated a continuous increase in the rate of discovery and invention, a Swedish scholar noted that the annual number of patents issued by the principal industrial countries showed signs of leveling off.3 This retardation contrasted sharply with the rapid increase in patenting characteristic of the nineteenth century. Subsequent investigation disclosed that the number of patents issued per capita tended to level off and perhaps to decline for every nation after it had passed through the rapid industrialization phase.4 Whether the retardation in patenting reflected a genuine stabilization or diminution in the per capita rate of invention or merely in the proportion of invention which is patented is therefore a question which has perplexed social and physical scientists for some time.5 The issues raised by this trend in patenting in the western world are not merely academic, for if the possibilities enumerated by Kuznets many years ago are indeed correct, and patent statistics (for the period under review) reflect either inventive activity, changes in technical knowledge, or technical change,6 then the retardation in statistics of patents issued means that the growth rate of one or another of these fundamental phenomena has been declining. True, no retardation in the rate of technical change has appeared in other, more reliable indexes, such as output per unit of input, but the possibility exists that the data reflect a decline in

textabstractSerie "Contributions to Economic Analysis", No.1. In Spanish: Ensayos de Teoria Economica, Coleccion de Ciencias Sociales No. 42, Tecnos, Madrid, 1965, 71 p.

Классическая работа лаурета Нобелевской премии по экономике Пола Самуэльсона, заложившая основу современной теории общественных благ. В статье формулируются условия выбора оптимального объема предоставления общественного блага, ныне присутствующие в любом учебнике микроэкономики и экономики общественного сектора.

Journal Article Memorandum on the Sterling Assets of the British Colonies : A Comment Get access Arthur Hazlewood Arthur Hazlewood Oxford Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 22, Issue 1, 1954, Pages 72–74, https://doi.org/10.2307/2296228 Published: 01 January 1954

Journal Article Dr. Hansen on the Inflationary Gap: Further Comment Get access J. J. Paunio J. J. Paunio Helsinki Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 22, Issue 2, 1954, Pages 151–152, https://doi.org/10.2307/2296289 Published: 01 January 1954

A Note on the Terms of Trade of Nigeria E. K. Hawkins E. K. Hawkins Ibadan, Nigeria Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 22, Issue 1, 1954, Pages 47–56, https://doi.org/10.2307/2296223 Published: 01 January 1954