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recombinant-growth
The idea that new innovations emerge primarily through the novel combination of existing technologies and ideas rather than entirely new inventions.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies (2014)Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Chapter 5 INNOVATION: DECLINING OR RECOMBINING?
Chapter 5 explores the debate over whether innovation is declining or simply recombining in new ways. It reviews historical and contemporary perspectives on economic growth, technological progress, and the role of general purpose technologies, highlighting arguments from economists and technologists about stagnation versus transformative recombination. The chapter also discusses the increasing importance of open innovation, collaborative problem solving, and the recombination of existing technologies to drive new breakthroughs.