Abstract
In a recent paper (Nelson & Sampat, 2001) we proposed that it is fruitful to conceptualize institutions as "social technologies" that are standard among economic actors in particular contexts. This paper extends the social technology concept to study institutionalization and institutional change, based on a case study of the history of social technologies used by universities to manage their patenting and licensing activities. While at the beginning of the twentieth century, universities avoided patenting and licensing activities, today all research universities have "technology transfer offices" to patent and market faculty inventions. That is, this social technology has become an institution. Based on historical narrative, we argue that the social technologies orientation highlights several important aspects of institutional change that are not prominent in the mainstream institutionalist literatures. Moreover, the evolution of social technologies has interesting parallels to the evolution of physical technologies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The new institutionalism in strategic management |
| Publisher | JAI Press |
| Pages | 135-164 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0762309032, 9780762309030 |
| Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Publication series
| Name | Advances in Strategic Management |
|---|---|
| Volume | 19 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0742-3322 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Thrainn Eggertsson provided useful comments on a previous draft. This research would not have been possible without the assistance and enthusiasm of archivists at the National Research Council, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, Research Corporation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Columbia University. We gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support of the Andrew Mellon Foundation and Columbia University's Office of the Executive Vice Provost.
Funding
Thrainn Eggertsson provided useful comments on a previous draft. This research would not have been possible without the assistance and enthusiasm of archivists at the National Research Council, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, Research Corporation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Columbia University. We gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support of the Andrew Mellon Foundation and Columbia University's Office of the Executive Vice Provost.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Columbia University's Office of the Executive Vice Provost | |
| Andrew W. Mellon Foundation |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous)
- Strategy and Management