The Making of a Digital World: The Evolution of Technological Change and How It Shaped Our World

274 Pages·2008·1.888 MB·English

by  Joachim K. Rennstich (auth.)

The Making of a Digital World
Evolutionary Processes in World Politics Series
Series editor: William R. Thompson, Indiana University
The Historical Evolution of World-Systems, edited by Christopher Chase-Dunn and
E. N. Anderson (2005)
Puzzles of the Democratic Peace: Theory, Geopolitics, and the Transformation of World Politics,
by Karen Rasler and William R. Thompson (2005)
The Making of a Digital World: The Evolution of Technological Change and How It Shaped
Our World, by Joachim K. Rennstich (2008)
The Making of a Digital World
The Evolution of Technological Change
and How It Shaped Our World
Joachim K. Rennstich
THE MAKING OF A DIGITAL WORLD
Copyright © Joachim K. Rennstich, 2008.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-1-4039-7448-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2008 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
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PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-53512-5 ISBN 978-0-230-61106-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230611061
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rennstich, Joachim K.
The making of a digital world : the evolution of technological change
and how it shaped our world / Joachim K. Rennstich.
p. cm.—(Evolutionary processes in world politics series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Social change. 2. Social evolution. 3. Technological innovations—
Social aspects. 4. Globalization. I. Title.
HM831.R46 2008
303.48(cid:2)201—dc22 2007027280
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: March 2008
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents
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C O N T E N T S
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgments xiii
One Thinking about Globalization—an Introduction 1
Two An Evolutionary Theory of Globalization 26
Three Drivers of Global Change—Leading Sectors of the
Informational Network Economy 71
Four Drivers of Leading Sector Change—the Role of States,
Organizations, and Individuals 135
Five Drivers of Leading Actor Change—Interstate
Rivalry at the Systemic Level 165
Six The Continuation of Change of the Global Complex
System—an Outlook on Its Future Development 198
Notes 212
References 228
Index 253
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L I S T O F F I G U R E S
2.1 Generational Leadership Long Cycle 30
2.2 Global Complex Systems—Schematic 33
2.3 Complex Global System Development Matrix 52
2.4 System Leadership Transition 58
3.1 IT-share (%) of Equipment Investment,
United States, 1960–1996 96
3.2 Semiconductor Sales ($ million), 1976–2002 97
3.3 Internet Growth, Users and Share of World
Population, 1995–2002 103
3.4 Internet Host Survey Count, 1981–2002 103
3.5 Number of Base Pairs (billions) and Sequences
(millions) in GenBank Database, 1982–2001 125
4.1 B/C Matrix of Organizational Interaction Forms 147
4.2 Cellular Organizational Structures 151
5.1 Major Power Rivalries, Major Power Wars, and
Rivalry Environments, 1494–2000 173
5.2 Number of Major Power Rivalries in Maritime
Commercial Rivalry Environment, 1494–1640 188
5.3 Number of Major Power Rivalries in Transition
Phase 1 and Industrial Production Phase Rivalry
Environment, 1640–1815 189
5.4 Number of Major Power Rivalries in Industrial
Production System Rivalry Environment, 1740–1914 190
5.5 Number of Major Power Rivalries in Transition
Phase 2 and Digital Commercial System Rivalry
Environment, 1914–2000 191