ABSTRACT
Changes in the way production is organized carries with it major social, economic and political change for work, workers and the places where we live and work. Economists, political scientists, planners and sociologists long have recognized the importance of linking the nature of work to the condition of our lives and our daily well-being. The process of structural change, by which an economy moves through phases of different industrial and occupational emphasis, demands our attention if we are to understand and then shape outcomes. Historically, we have chosen to associate periods and stages of development in terms of the prevailing economic function, such as agrarian, industrial and post-industrial eras and societies. Information and knowledge always have been important to production, but since the Industrial Revolution its importance has intensified and become dominant. Mokyr (2002) notes how science and technology fueled the Industrial Revolution and led to sustained growth in many of the world’s economies. This process continues, with science and technology gaining increasing importance as a driver of the economy.
