ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines how technological innovation has affected governmental agendas and institutions over time. It argues that today's emerging technologies allow for increased political and governmental decentralization, unlike the heavily centralizing effect of technologies earlier in the century. The book examines location patterns of advanced technology industries and also examines technological innovation and regional economic growth. It identifies the limits of using the spatial product cycle model for policy to promote regional growth and also identifies entrepreneurship as the potentially critical factor. The book constructs a distinction between two types of technology-dependent growth, one the result of new firm formation and the other the result of expansion of existing firms. It provides an overview of state science and technology initiatives, including identification of goals and objectives, categorization of programs and future directions. The book examines state business assistance programs.
