SOAS Research Online

A Free Database of the Latest Research by SOAS Academics and PhD Students

[skip to content]

Andreoni, Antonio (2014) 'Structural Learning: Embedding discoveries and the dynamics of production.' Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 29. pp. 58-74.

[img]
Preview
Text - Draft Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Production and learning of productive knowledge are profoundly intertwined processes as the activation of either process triggers the other, very often implying interdependent transformations. The paper aims to open the ‘production black box’ by proposing the analytical map of production as a tool for disentangling the set of interdependent relationships among capabilities, tasks and materials. The concept of structural learning is introduced to identify the continuous process of structural adjustment triggered and oriented by existing productive structures at each point in time. Structural learning trajectories allow for the transformation of structural constraints such as bottlenecks and technical imbalances into structural opportunities. Complementarities, similarities and indivisibilities are essential focusing devices for activating compulsive sequences of technological change as well as discovering structurally embedded opportunities. The paper then investigates the tension between structure and agency present in structural learning trajectories, and examines the form it takes in different productive organisations.

Item Type: Journal Article
Keywords: Production process, Learning, Structural dynamics
SOAS Departments & Centres: Departments and Subunits > Department of Economics
Legacy Departments > Faculty of Law and Social Sciences > Department of Economics
ISSN: 0954349X
Copyright Statement: © 2013 Elsevier B.V. This accepted manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2013.09.003
Date Deposited: 15 Dec 2014 15:59
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/19216
Related URLs: https://doi.org ... eco.2013.09.003 (Publisher URL)

Altmetric Data

Statistics

Download activity - last 12 monthsShow export options
Downloads since deposit
6 month trend
1,031Downloads
6 month trend
676Hits
Accesses by country - last 12 monthsShow export options
Accesses by referrer - last 12 monthsShow export options

Repository staff only

Edit Item Edit Item