David Simpson skilfully argues that a market economy can be best understood as a human complex system, a perspective that represents a continuation of the classical tradition in economic thought. In the classical tradition, growth rather than allocative efficiency is the principal object of enquiry, economic phenomena are recognised to be elements of processes rather than structures, and change is evolutionary.

This book looks at what has actually happened when new technology has been deployed in an industrial and commercial environment. It considers the economic impact of new technology on three groups of organisations: firms, governments and trade unions.