Technology and the Rise of Great Powers - Princeton Studies in International History and Politics by Jeffrey Ding Paperback

About the Book

"A novel theory of how technological revolutions affect the rise and fall of great powers. When scholars and policymakers consider how technological advances affect the rise and fall of great powers, they draw on theories that center the moment of innovation-the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats. In this book, Jeffrey Ding offers a different explanation of how technological revolutions affect competition among great powers. Rather than focusing on which state first introduced major innovations, he instead investigates why some states were more successful than others at adapting and embracing new technologies at scale. Drawing on historical case studies of past industrial revolutions as well as statistical analysis, Ding develops a theory that emphasizes institutional adaptations oriented around diffusing technological advances throughout the entire economy.Examining Britain's rise to preeminence in the First Industrial Revolution, America and Germany's overtaking of Britain in the Second Industrial Revolution, and Japan's challenge to America's technological dominance in the Third Industrial Revolution (also known as the "information revolution"), Ding illuminates the pathway by which these technological revolutions influenced the global distribution of power and explores the generalizability of his theory beyond the given set of great powers. His findings bear directly on current concerns about how emerging technologies such as AI could influence the US-China power balance"--

Book Synopsis

A novel theory of how technological revolutions affect the rise and fall of great powers

When scholars and policymakers consider how technological advances affect the rise and fall of great powers, they draw on theories that center the moment of innovation--the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats. In this book, Jeffrey Ding offers a different explanation of how technological revolutions affect competition among great powers. Rather than focusing on which state first introduced major innovations, he investigates why some states were more successful than others at adapting and embracing new technologies at scale. Drawing on historical case studies of past industrial revolutions as well as statistical analysis, Ding develops a theory that emphasizes institutional adaptations oriented around diffusing technological advances throughout the entire economy.

Examining Britain's rise to preeminence in the First Industrial Revolution, America and Germany's overtaking of Britain in the Second Industrial Revolution, and Japan's challenge to America's technological dominance in the Third Industrial Revolution (also known as the "information revolution"), Ding illuminates the pathway by which these technological revolutions influenced the global distribution of power and explores the generalizability of his theory beyond the given set of great powers. His findings bear directly on current concerns about how emerging technologies such as AI could influence the US-China power balance.

Review Quotes

"If you want to understand who might win the AI race, start by looking backward. In this deeply researched text, political science professor Jeffrey Ding does exactly that. He charts how past 'GPTs' -- in this case, that's 'general purpose technologies' -- have shaped the rise and fall of empires. . . . Ding's framework culminates in a stark warning for policymakers that they may not even be running the race that matters"---Catherine Thorbecke, Bloomberg

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

"Winner of the Lepgold Book Prize, Georgetown University"

"Magisterial."---Sebastien Laye, Washington Examiner

"A timely examination of how technological change can bring about power transitions and points at the humble, yet essential, process of technological diffusion."---Ludovica Meacci, International Affairs

"[Technology and the Rise of Great Powers's] most significant contribution is its framework for analyzing how technology influences international power dynamics across populations. Instead of focusing on the technological capabilities and resources of companies like OpenAI and DeepSeek, Ding urges social scientists to adopt a long-term historical perspective--one that prioritizes skill in‐frastructure and diffusion over innovation as the primary driver of international power."---Sebastian James Rose, H-Net Reviews

"Brilliant. . . . [Technology and the Rise of Great Powers] is one of the most important books in international relations to be published in years."-- "Choice"

"A Chicago Council on Global Affairs Read of the Year"

"One of the best books examining . . . how technology enables national power is from Jeffrey Ding. . . . An important and interesting book."-- "Information Technology & Innovation Foundation"

About the Author

Jeffrey Ding is assistant professor of political science at George Washington University. He also holds research affiliations with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Elliott School of International Affairs, and the Centre for the Governance of AI.