This paper presents some works realized under the sponsorship of the CNRS research program: The Economics of innovation: trends and issues [1997-2002]. Four topics are emphasized: The macroeconomic and microeconomic representations of the innovative process and the links between innovation,...

This article uses economic theory for analysing the invention and diffusion of mechanical printing. Major conclusions are as follows. The invention of moving types printing by Gutenberg results from the expansion of demand for writings at the end of the Middle Ages in Europe (demand pull). It is...