Directed technological change: a history and a critical agenda

Abstract In this article, I explore the idea of ‘directed technological change’. Although it has its intellectual origins in early twentieth-century economic thought, the idea was largely ignored in the decades that followed. This only changed recently, when contemporary economists adopted and reworked the idea, applying it to some of our great challenges: from climate change to the impact of AI on work. In what follows I explore the history of the idea, set out its modern theoretical form and practical relevance, before closing with important limitations: technical, political, and moral.