Techno-Economic Paradigms as Typical Interfaces Between Producers and Users

In this paper it is suggested that techno-economic paradigms should not only be considered as means of coordination among the producers of technological knowledge but also as means of coordination between groups of producers and users of specific types of artefacts, as shared specifications of typical interfaces between the two parties. If such interfaces are simplified and standardized, the information needs of the parties will be delimited (and this is necessary in the worlds of bounded rationality à la Simon and Hayek). However, successful product innovation will often presuppose an information-rich interaction and thereby often presuppose non-standardized interfaces. In the paper these two conflicting principles are developed in order to clarify several controversial issues within the theory of innovation and evolution.