Obviously, a network analysis wouldn't help anybody predict precisely what new technologies are going to emerge next week. But it might help economists get statistical and structural measures of the process. When you introduce a new product, for example, how big an avalanche does it typically cause? How many other goods and services does it bring with it, and how many old ones go out? And how do you recognize when a good has become central to an economy, as opposed to being just another hula-hoop?
