IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/regstd/v59y2025i1p2077326.html

Technology, resources and geography in a paradigm shift: the case of critical and conflict materials in ICTs

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Diemer
  • Simona Iammarino
  • Richard Perkins
  • Axel Gros

Abstract

Critical and conflict materials (CCMs) are providing an important material infrastructure for recent technological shifts. Relying on text analysis of US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) data, this exploratory study examines the technological and geographical linkages between technological paradigms and selected CCMs. Our descriptive analysis finds evidence of a clear association between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and CCM intensity over time, and of a striking resource–technology divide between value-creating and -extracting activities across the Global North and the Global South and their regions. The paper emphasizes the need for a more critical, spatially sensitive approach to studying resource-based technological change to expose its uneven development consequences.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Diemer & Simona Iammarino & Richard Perkins & Axel Gros, 2025. "Technology, resources and geography in a paradigm shift: the case of critical and conflict materials in ICTs," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(1), pages 2077326-207, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:59:y:2025:i:1:p:2077326
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2077326
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00343404.2022.2077326
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00343404.2022.2077326?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or

    for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Diego Dessi & Simona Iammarino & Stefano Usai, 2026. "Critical Raw Materials and Open Strategic Autonomy in Europe: Targets, Resources and Geography," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2606, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised May 2026.
    2. Fusillo Fabrizio & Manera Maria & Orsatti Gianluca & Quatraro Francesco & Rentocchini Francesco, 2025. "The exposure of EU inventive efforts to critical raw materials: evidence from an AI based patent indicator," JRC Research Reports JRC141261, Joint Research Centre.
    3. Valverde-Carbonell, Jorge & Pietrobelli, Carlo & Menéndez, María de las Mercedes, 2024. "Minerals’ criticality and countries' mining competitiveness: Two faces of the same coin," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    4. Camuamba, Elsa & Damásio, Bruno & Mendonça, Sandro, 2025. "Assessing critical mineral occurrence in battery technologies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    5. Compagnoni, Marco & Santini, Erica, 2025. "The evolution of the EU electronics market and its impact on direct material consumption: Lessons from the past," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    6. Bastianin, Andrea & Del Bo, Chiara F. & Shamsudin, Luqman, "undated". "The geography of mining and its environmental impact in Europe," FEEM Working Papers 352147, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    7. Andrea Bastianin & Xiao Li & Luqman Shamsudin, 2025. "Forecasting the Volatility of Energy Transition Metals," Papers 2501.16069, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2025.
    8. Fusillo, Fabrizio & Orsatti, Gianluca & Pialli, Guido & Quatraro, Francesco & Scandura, Alessandra, 2026. "Trade in Critical Raw Materials and the direction of innovation," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 202603, University of Turin.
    9. Frank Neffke & Angelica Sbardella & Ulrich Schetter & Andrea Tacchella, 2024. "Economic Complexity Analysis," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2430, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2024.
    10. Bastianin, Andrea & Castelnovo, Paolo & Frattini, Federico Fabio & Vona, Francesco, 2026. "Induced Innovation in Critical Mineral Saving Technologies," FEEM Working Papers 391378, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    11. Carolina Castaldi, 2024. "Measuring innovation in international business research: how can trademark data help?," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(4), pages 466-475, December.
    12. Francesco de Cunzo & Davide Consoli & Francois Perruchas & Angelica Sbardella, 2023. "Mapping Critical Raw Materials in Green Technologies," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2322, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Dec 2023.
    13. Li, George Yunxiong & Ascani, Andrea & Iammarino, Simona, 2024. "The material basis of modern technologies. A case study on rare metals," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    14. Francesco de Cunzo & Aurelio Patelli & Angelica Sbardella & Andrea Tacchella, 2025. "The Functional Role of Critical Raw Materials in Technological Innovation," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2516, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jun 2025.
    15. Nicola Cortinovis, 2026. "Crowdfunding and industrial diversification," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2607, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised May 2026.
    16. Gong, Huiwen & Andersen, Allan Dahl, 2024. "The role of material resources for rapid technology diffusion in net-zero transitions: Insights from EV lithium-ion battery Technological Innovation System in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • Q34 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:59:y:2025:i:1:p:2077326. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CRES20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.