"The Pattern of Knowledge Flows between Technology Fields"

This paper exploits recent contributions to the notions of modularity and autocatalytic sets, to identify the functional and structural units of an empirical knowledge pattern that define the strongest systematic and self sustaining mechanisms of knowledge transfer and accumulation within the network. Our analysis reconstructs the architecture of the empirical knowledge pattern based on USPTO patent citation data at the level of resolution of 3-digits technology classes, for the period 1975-1999. Our results are consistent with the idea that the information and communication technologies (ICT), although representing the core of knowledge creation throughout the period, only in the second half became fully integrated with the other sectors.