Technological Innovations: Slumps and Booms

Leonardo Felli () and Francois Ortalo-Magne ()

Microeconomics from EconWPA

Abstract: This paper documents the delayed adoption of a major technological innovation: the adoption of the diesel locomotive in the US railway industry. Contrary to other instances of major technological innovations, the delay in the adoption of the diesel locomotive was not associated with an initial slump in output. We provide a theoretical model which is consistent with both an increase and a decrease in output following the invention of a new technology. Within this model we identify the key factors that make a slump in output unlikely.

Keywords: technological innovations; locomotives; slumps; learning-by- doing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 D83 D92 E22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997-11-18
Note: Type of Document - LaTex; prepared on IBM PC - EmTex; to print on PostScript; pages: 25 ; figures: separate but included
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Related works:
Working Paper: Technological Innovations: Slumps and Booms'
Working Paper: Technological Innovations: Slumps and Booms
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wpa:wuwpmi:9711002

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