Title: The impact of government intervention in technological transitions: evidence from Dutch history

Authors: Martin De Jong, Helen Stout

Addresses: Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands. ' Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: Traditionally, technological transitions in network sectors are matters for the private sector. History teaches us that as soon as technological transitions proved successful, the government sooner or later got involved with the distribution. This article aims to answer two questions, namely, (1) how do governmental bodies use legal instruments in the control, stimulation and accommodation of technological change, and (2) what effects do legal instruments have on the operation of innovative private entrepreneurs. Effects on private innovators are qualified as positive, neutral or negative. The research method chosen has been inspired by insights from legal sociology, the public choice theory and strategic actor behaviour in qualitative simulation-games, but follows distinct methodological steps. Throughout the article, a case study on the transition from telegraphy to telephony in The Netherlands will be used to illustrate the discussion.

Keywords: technological transitions; network sectors; private sectors; private entrepreneurs; government intervention; legal instruments; positive incentives; negative incentives; public choice theory; qualitative game theory; legal sociology; telegraphy; telephony; actor tactics; The Netherlands; Dutch history; entrepreneurship; technological change; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTPM.2007.012242

International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management, 2007 Vol.7 No.1, pp.89 - 104

Published online: 31 Jan 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article