Drivers of technology diffusion speed in countries
Jenna H. Greene, Matthew J. Gidden, Elina Brutschin, Gregory F. Nemet · 2026
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Description
Jenna H. Greene, Matthew J. Gidden, Elina Brutschin and Gregory F. Nemet analyse, in a 2026 paper, what makes technologies spread fast or slowly across countries. Their evidence base is an expanded historical adoption dataset holding 5,990 national time series for 130 technologies in 228 countries.
Growth rates varied enormously. Newer, simpler, more standardised, smaller, less material-hungry and shorter-lived technologies diffused fastest. The pattern suggests small-scale technologies can be adopted quickly, while large complex systems need more support and longer horizons. Set against climate targets, the authors argue the findings help judge which low-carbon transitions can plausibly run at the required speed and which need deliberate acceleration.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Jenna H. Greene, Matthew J. Gidden, Elina Brutschin, Gregory F. Nemet |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 77236 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |