The knowledge-based economy: an integrated macroeconomic and management approach to the analysis of major forces affecting the evolution of modern economies

Abstract

The present article represents the first part of wider research focusing on the development of an authorial interpretation of the phenomena characterising modern economies on the basis of a critical analysis of macroeconomic and management literature. It points out, first of all, the existence of two opposing approaches to the interpretation of phenomena characterising the knowledge-based economy. The first one describes these as a completely new phenomenon requiring the development of theoretical instruments significantly different from those already available. The second one, instead, underlines that the conditions characterising modern economies can be treated rather as an economic system development phase, which, based on income inequalities, economic growth and capital accumulation evolution, resembles a return to trends already observed in the past. The paper presents the author’s proposal of integrating both approaches and knowledge-based economy interpretations as an economic development phase characterised – based on the observed trends and a set of theoretical arguments derived from Keynesian theory and justifying the existence of an acceleration mechanism – by the lower profitability of physical capital accumulation. The conclusions indicate how the existence of such a mechanism and the underlining of such a feature of modern economies suffices, according to the author, to explain both the emergence of different phases of development as well as specific economic phenomena considered typical for the knowledge-based economy in the literature. Forthcoming articles will supplement the present one, focusing on their analysis, leading to the development of a unified interpretation scheme able to explain the main mechanisms and major forces affecting economic system functioning both at a given development phase and in the longer-term perspective.