ABSTRACT
The central contribution of this chapter is an empirical analysis of the impact of macroeconomic volatility on the diffusion of industrial robotics using a panel data set encompassing 16 countries over the period from 1981 to 1993. There are very few international comparative studies of any kind in the diffusion field and even fewer concerned with the impact of macroeconomic volatility (although Davies (1979) does explore the impact of the business cycle on the diffusion process). However, rather than being limited to just an analysis of diffusion phenomenon we see this chapter as a contribution to a much more extensive academic and policy debate-that concerning the effects of uncertainty on investment.
