The past few centuries have seen an enormous increase in living standards in many parts of the world and these economies have become more complex than ever before. At the same time, progress in science and technology has reached unprecedented heights, taking us far beyond the wildest dreams of a few generations ago. Questions as to how science, technology and the economy interact are pertinent and important ones, whose partial answers require a view "from across the fence" between disciplines. This book provides an introduction to the vast and varied field of the economics of science. It is a unique blend of an economic perspective on the way science works, what makes scientists tick, and a study of the impact of scientific and technological progress on economies and their growth. Whether it is about the speculative market of ideas or science and technology as engines of the economy, there is something here for economists, engineers and scientists alike.

Inhalt

Science, Engineering & Economics; Technology, Knowledge and Manifolds; Engineering Production Functions; Networks, Productivity and Technological Diffusion; Economic Growth and Endogenous Technological Progress; Societal Research Portfolios; A Researcher's Incentives and Project Portfolios; Science as a Market of Ideas; Paradigm Choice in a Statistical Market of Ideas; Speculative Episodes in Science; Teaching Informed Research & Research Informed Teaching.