Space, Time, Number: Harold A. Innis As Evolutionary Theorist
Léonard Dudley
What causes economic change? Traditionally, economists have answered that the explanation lies in exogenous shocks to technology, factor stocks, or preferences. In last half-decade of his career, Canadian historian Harold Innis (1894-1952) proposed an alternative approach - a theory endogenous change communications technology. He argued principal developments western social history could be explained by process alternation between media biased towards conservation information over time and those transmission distance. This paper demonstrates close parallels concepts used contemporary theories evolution. It also indicates importance for future research vision as most fundamental enabling technologies.
Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique