A network-based approach to technology transfers in the context of climate policy

In light of the urgency of climate change, there is a growing literature on the role of technology transfers and how policy can foster diffusion of climate-mitigation technologies. An important challenge is that the diffusion network is generally unknown. To address this key issue, we propose a systemic method building on the network inference literature. We then apply this approach using data on global diffusion patterns of wind energy technologies since the 1980s. Results show that the network's evolution has been remarkable, consistent with the colossal growth and technological progress in wind power over the past decades and the leading role of European firms and other advanced economies in its development. In the context of climate policy and given the multipolar nature and structural inefficiencies in the network, we also appraise strategies to maximize diffusion of new technologies within developing regions and the potential to build bridges through new modes of cooperation.