Technological synergies as antecedents of sustainable development: deep-tech versus shallow-tech perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior research suggests that synergies between deep and shallow technologies could create unprecedented capacity to achieve sustainable development. However, there is little understanding if these synergies are already achieved and how different technologies work together on a country level to enable its sustainable development. We respond to this question starting from the contingency theory and adopting a configurational perspective to inductively explore the interaction effects of two key deep technologies (artificial intelligence and Internet of things) and two key shallow technologies (broadband and cloud computing) on a country’s sustainability performance. We employ the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on a data set of 79 countries, allowing us to embrace the synergies brought by technological convergences. Our results determine how deep and shallow technologies complement and substitute each other and thereby create multiple technological pathways towards high and low sustainable development at the national level. In this way, this study offers significant implications for research, policy, and practice concerned with the issues lying at the intersection of technology and sustainability.