Problems Created by the Increasing Pace of Technical Progress

Abstract

Technical progress has accelerated, sometimes spontaneously, sometimes through stimulus by the public authorities. It has brought with it a new set of problems. This note examines certain aspects of two of them. The first problem is that of the possible dangers for general economic development arising when official policy aims to raise the technical level of the production system generally by fostering the development of high technology industries. The second problem is that of the conflicts implicit in the rules for managing the human capital represented by the technical knowledge and know-how of the economically active population. In some respects these rules are economically irrational and socially unacceptable.