Modeling the behaviour of science and technology: self-propagating growth in the diffusion process

Abstract

Through theoretical analysis and empirical demonstration, this paper attempts to model the behavior of science and technology by investigating the self-propagating behavior of their diffusion for South Korea, Malaysia and Japan. The dynamics of the self-propagating behavior were examined using the logistic growth function within a dynamic carrying capacity, while allowing for different effectiveness of potential influence of science and technology producers on potential adopters. Evidence suggests that the self-propagating growth function is particularly relevant for countries with advanced science and technology, like Japan. While self-propagating growth was also found for South Korea, the diffusion process remained fairly static for Malaysia.