Solving management problems in the “economics of technology”

Management problems when creating specific types of goods (products, services) differ from those emerging in the technological sphere, since technology is a special product representing a method of influencing or changing the state of an object to achieve specific goals. In this regard, technology competition and the processes of adding or substituting technologies create a range of special tasks and generate original effects that are not typical of purely consumer goods. The paper centers on core management objectives within a specific management object, namely technologies, which forms the independent research area “economics of technology”. The relevance is attached to the effect of technological dualism and the processes of substituting and adding technologies. The research methodology includes the elements of control theory for large-scale systems, technological development theory and the concept of technological modes. The empirical evidence is comprised of data on technology development retrieved from the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat). The research methods are typification, generalization, structural and statistical analyses. The study formulates the main theoretical objectives of technology management (substitution, overcoming technological dualism, developing the core and the periphery of technology, etc.) and presents different approaches in the field of macromanagement with reference to the technological modes and the coordinate system “creative destruction – combinatorial build-up”. We have singled out the management modes of technological development with an emphasis on technological substitution or addition to attain the goals of technological renewal using the case of the Russian economy. The paper outlines an option for differentiating technology policy tools to secure technological sovereignty and leadership and shows that the objective of optimal control must be revised in light of the considerable uncertainty inherent in technological competition.