Technological lock-in of large firms since the interwar period

Abstract

Since technology is localised and context-specific, the technological trajectories of large firms tend to lock-in to particular national configurations. This article examines evidence on the industrial patterns of technological development in the largest firms originating from the US, Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland and Sweden, through their corporate patenting in the US since 1920. It is shown that in each national group the profile of development is path-dependent, but with some selected convergence between groups leading to the formation of three clusters of groups (the US and UK, German and Swiss, and French and Swedish) that share common characteristics.