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From Path Dependency to Path Creation

Finland on its Way to the Knowledge-Based Economy

University of Tampere

The main assumption of evolutionary economics is that techno-economic change is path dependent, suggesting some kind of gradual development. Referring to Finland, one can demonstrate, however, that countries can undergo fundamental transformation processes within a relatively short period of time. Naturally this has major implications for research on techno-economic change, because the concept of path dependency in which the dominant feedback loops are selfreinforcing cannot be applied to the Finnish case. To understand the transformation process of the Finnish economy, research needs to focus more on processes of path creation. The aim of the article is to contribute to such reframing of research on economic change and to give empirical evidence of path creation processes referring to Finland as a case in point.

Key Words: Finnish knowledge-based economy • Finnish resource-based economy • Nokia • path creation • path dependency • transformation

Current Sociology, Vol. 55, No. 1, 92-109 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0011392107070136


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