![[Review] Technology and the Rise of Great Powers (Jeffrey Ding) Summarized](https://episodes.castos.com/660078c6833215-59505987/images/2326284/c1a-085k3-2507q049t9d0-uwktgp.jpg)
Show Notes
Technology and the Rise of Great Powers (Jeffrey Ding)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691260346?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Technology-and-the-Rise-of-Great-Powers-Jeffrey-Ding.html
- Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/plant-powered-plus-activate-the-power-of-your-gut/id1834302335?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1&at=1001l3bAw&ct=9natree
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Technology+and+the+Rise+of+Great+Powers+Jeffrey+Ding+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/0691260346/
#technologydiffusion #greatpowercompetition #innovationpolicy #economicproductivity #USChinarivalry #TechnologyandtheRiseofGreatPowers
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, From invention to diffusion as the real engine of power, A central theme is the distinction between creating new technologies and spreading them widely enough to transform an economy. The book highlights how national strength is often built on incremental, broad based uptake of general purpose technologies rather than isolated moments of genius. Diffusion includes the practical work of standardizing processes, training workers, adapting tools to local conditions, and integrating innovations into supply chains and services. This perspective shifts attention away from a narrow race for first mover advantage and toward the capacity to absorb and scale. It also changes how we interpret signals of competition: a country that leads in research labs may still lag if its businesses, regulators, and labor markets cannot deploy advances at speed. Conversely, a follower can leap forward by adopting proven methods and improving them through learning by doing. By foregrounding diffusion, the argument reframes economic rivalry as a contest over managerial competence, institutional flexibility, and systems that reward adoption. This creates a more grounded lens for assessing long run national trajectories beyond the headlines of breakthrough announcements.
Secondly, General purpose technologies and economy wide productivity, The book situates major shifts in power in the spread of general purpose technologies, tools that reshape many sectors and require complementary changes to realize their benefits. Examples in economic history often include electrification, mechanization, and information technologies, which do not automatically raise productivity the moment they appear. Instead, gains arrive when organizations redesign workflows, invest in complementary capital, and develop new business models. This helps explain why measured productivity sometimes lags behind technological excitement and why diffusion can be uneven across regions and industries. The argument emphasizes that strategic advantage comes from turning a technology into an economy wide platform, not merely demonstrating prototypes. Such platforms demand networks, standards, skilled labor, and reliable financing, along with the competitive pressure that pushes firms to modernize. Great powers, in this view, are those that repeatedly manage these transitions. The focus on general purpose technologies also clarifies why policy conversations that fixate on a single sector can miss the larger issue: broad adoption across the economy is what raises living standards, expands fiscal capacity, and ultimately supports military and diplomatic influence.
Thirdly, Absorptive capacity and the institutions that enable scaling, Diffusion depends on absorptive capacity, the ability of firms and societies to recognize, adopt, and improve technologies developed elsewhere. The book draws attention to the institutional foundations of this capacity: education and vocational training, management practices, research and extension networks, infrastructure, and the legal and regulatory environment that shapes investment and entrepreneurship. It also highlights the role of organizational learning, where productivity increases through experience and feedback loops rather than through formal research alone. A key implication is that the same technology can produce different outcomes in different countries because local institutions determine how quickly and effectively it is incorporated into production. Policies that support competition, workforce mobility, and knowledge sharing can accelerate diffusion, while rigid bureaucracies, weak capital markets, or misaligned incentives can slow it. This institutional focus provides a practical checklist for leaders and analysts: instead of asking only who has the most advanced labs, ask who can translate techniques into widely used capabilities. It also suggests that long run advantage is cumulative, because societies that diffuse well build habits and infrastructures that make the next wave easier to absorb.
Fourthly, Reframing great power competition and technology strategy, The diffusion lens reshapes how to think about economic competition among major states. It challenges simplistic narratives that equate technological leadership with dominance or assume that controlling a narrow set of cutting edge components determines the entire balance of power. While frontier innovation matters, the book underscores that competitive advantage often hinges on how quickly new methods spread across ordinary firms and public services, raising overall productivity. This has major implications for strategy debates, including the use of export controls, industrial subsidies, research funding, and alliances. Policies aimed solely at slowing a rival’s breakthroughs may be less decisive than policies that strengthen domestic diffusion, such as improving workforce skills, encouraging adoption in small and medium businesses, modernizing infrastructure, and reducing barriers to experimentation. The framework also encourages more nuanced expectations about rising powers: rapid gains can come from catching up through diffusion, but sustaining leadership requires continual improvements in institutions and broad based upgrading. Overall, the argument provides a sober way to assess technological competition without overreacting to hype cycles or underestimating the slow, compounding advantages of widespread adoption.
Lastly, Measuring technological strength beyond patents and R&D totals, Another important contribution is the call for better metrics of technological and economic capability. Traditional indicators like patent counts, publication volume, or national R&D spending can be informative but incomplete because they capture inputs or narrow outputs rather than economy wide impact. A diffusion centered approach looks for evidence that technologies are being used broadly and effectively, such as productivity improvements across sectors, adoption rates among firms of different sizes, supply chain modernization, and the quality of human capital and management. It also considers whether an economy can integrate technologies into public administration and critical infrastructure, which affects resilience and national capacity. This measurement shift matters for policymakers and investors because it changes which interventions appear effective. Instead of assuming that more research funding automatically yields power, the book points toward the often overlooked middle layer between labs and markets: standards bodies, demonstration projects, extension services, procurement policies, and the ecosystems that translate knowledge into practice. By urging readers to evaluate diffusion outcomes, the framework helps distinguish symbolic technological prowess from the deep capabilities that support long term competitiveness.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691260346?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Technology-and-the-Rise-of-Great-Powers-Jeffrey-Ding.html
- Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/plant-powered-plus-activate-the-power-of-your-gut/id1834302335?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1&at=1001l3bAw&ct=9natree
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Technology+and+the+Rise+of+Great+Powers+Jeffrey+Ding+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/0691260346/
#technologydiffusion #greatpowercompetition #innovationpolicy #economicproductivity #USChinarivalry #TechnologyandtheRiseofGreatPowers
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, From invention to diffusion as the real engine of power, A central theme is the distinction between creating new technologies and spreading them widely enough to transform an economy. The book highlights how national strength is often built on incremental, broad based uptake of general purpose technologies rather than isolated moments of genius. Diffusion includes the practical work of standardizing processes, training workers, adapting tools to local conditions, and integrating innovations into supply chains and services. This perspective shifts attention away from a narrow race for first mover advantage and toward the capacity to absorb and scale. It also changes how we interpret signals of competition: a country that leads in research labs may still lag if its businesses, regulators, and labor markets cannot deploy advances at speed. Conversely, a follower can leap forward by adopting proven methods and improving them through learning by doing. By foregrounding diffusion, the argument reframes economic rivalry as a contest over managerial competence, institutional flexibility, and systems that reward adoption. This creates a more grounded lens for assessing long run national trajectories beyond the headlines of breakthrough announcements.
Secondly, General purpose technologies and economy wide productivity, The book situates major shifts in power in the spread of general purpose technologies, tools that reshape many sectors and require complementary changes to realize their benefits. Examples in economic history often include electrification, mechanization, and information technologies, which do not automatically raise productivity the moment they appear. Instead, gains arrive when organizations redesign workflows, invest in complementary capital, and develop new business models. This helps explain why measured productivity sometimes lags behind technological excitement and why diffusion can be uneven across regions and industries. The argument emphasizes that strategic advantage comes from turning a technology into an economy wide platform, not merely demonstrating prototypes. Such platforms demand networks, standards, skilled labor, and reliable financing, along with the competitive pressure that pushes firms to modernize. Great powers, in this view, are those that repeatedly manage these transitions. The focus on general purpose technologies also clarifies why policy conversations that fixate on a single sector can miss the larger issue: broad adoption across the economy is what raises living standards, expands fiscal capacity, and ultimately supports military and diplomatic influence.
Thirdly, Absorptive capacity and the institutions that enable scaling, Diffusion depends on absorptive capacity, the ability of firms and societies to recognize, adopt, and improve technologies developed elsewhere. The book draws attention to the institutional foundations of this capacity: education and vocational training, management practices, research and extension networks, infrastructure, and the legal and regulatory environment that shapes investment and entrepreneurship. It also highlights the role of organizational learning, where productivity increases through experience and feedback loops rather than through formal research alone. A key implication is that the same technology can produce different outcomes in different countries because local institutions determine how quickly and effectively it is incorporated into production. Policies that support competition, workforce mobility, and knowledge sharing can accelerate diffusion, while rigid bureaucracies, weak capital markets, or misaligned incentives can slow it. This institutional focus provides a practical checklist for leaders and analysts: instead of asking only who has the most advanced labs, ask who can translate techniques into widely used capabilities. It also suggests that long run advantage is cumulative, because societies that diffuse well build habits and infrastructures that make the next wave easier to absorb.
Fourthly, Reframing great power competition and technology strategy, The diffusion lens reshapes how to think about economic competition among major states. It challenges simplistic narratives that equate technological leadership with dominance or assume that controlling a narrow set of cutting edge components determines the entire balance of power. While frontier innovation matters, the book underscores that competitive advantage often hinges on how quickly new methods spread across ordinary firms and public services, raising overall productivity. This has major implications for strategy debates, including the use of export controls, industrial subsidies, research funding, and alliances. Policies aimed solely at slowing a rival’s breakthroughs may be less decisive than policies that strengthen domestic diffusion, such as improving workforce skills, encouraging adoption in small and medium businesses, modernizing infrastructure, and reducing barriers to experimentation. The framework also encourages more nuanced expectations about rising powers: rapid gains can come from catching up through diffusion, but sustaining leadership requires continual improvements in institutions and broad based upgrading. Overall, the argument provides a sober way to assess technological competition without overreacting to hype cycles or underestimating the slow, compounding advantages of widespread adoption.
Lastly, Measuring technological strength beyond patents and R&D totals, Another important contribution is the call for better metrics of technological and economic capability. Traditional indicators like patent counts, publication volume, or national R&D spending can be informative but incomplete because they capture inputs or narrow outputs rather than economy wide impact. A diffusion centered approach looks for evidence that technologies are being used broadly and effectively, such as productivity improvements across sectors, adoption rates among firms of different sizes, supply chain modernization, and the quality of human capital and management. It also considers whether an economy can integrate technologies into public administration and critical infrastructure, which affects resilience and national capacity. This measurement shift matters for policymakers and investors because it changes which interventions appear effective. Instead of assuming that more research funding automatically yields power, the book points toward the often overlooked middle layer between labs and markets: standards bodies, demonstration projects, extension services, procurement policies, and the ecosystems that translate knowledge into practice. By urging readers to evaluate diffusion outcomes, the framework helps distinguish symbolic technological prowess from the deep capabilities that support long term competitiveness.
