RE: [OPE] Invention, Inventors, and the Productivity of Labor

> Who invents new and more productive technologies?> In large part it is done by wage labourers.
 
Hi Paul C:
 
I don't know about that.
 
To begin with, we were talking about the productivity of labor.
For an invention to affect productivity, there must be *innovation*
(practical application of an invention). Invention - while generally a
necessary precondition for technological change - is *not a sufficient
condition for increasing the productivity of labor*.
 
Who the inventors are is not so straight forward. For instance,
one source says that
 
     "Inventors are only those individuals who had 'inventive' input
      to the process, not those who merely carried out the direction
      and/or ideas of others. Therefore, colleague(s), technician(s),
      or student(s) who have been involved in or carried out the
      research may not necessarily be inventors (Colorado State
      University [CSU]Ventures)
 
In any event, inventions are created by individual inventors and
within small businesses, private and public universities, public
institutions, and large corporations. In relation to the latter,
no doubt there are wage-workers in R&D departments, but who
are the inventors and what role did the wage-workers play in
the 'inventive' process?
 
Are you basing your claim that wage-workers "in large part"
are the ones who invent new productive technologies on any
particular empirical study or studies? If so, which one(s)?
 
In solidarity, Jerry

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Received on Sat Nov 1 17:18:57 2008