The year 2009 marks a round and significant birthday for Carlota Perez thus presents us with a welcome occasion to celebrate her work. There could not be a better time to do this, because the events, as this book goes to press, have impressively proven its relevance and accuracy. By now, this has been widely noticed in scholarship and media, by large corporations, governments and supranational organizations, and NGOs alike, and Carlota has attracted what could almost be called a cult following. Well beyond her home base of Evolutionary Economics, we see the economic world, as it is really unfolding, with other eyes because of her theory of Techno-Economic Paradigms (TEPs) – and there are few economists today about whom this can be said. For us, her friends and colleagues at Tallinn University of Technology's Technology Governance graduate program – which has served as the academic-institutional center both for Carlota and for the reflection of her work in recent years – who have worked closely with her over many years, the idea of a Festschrift seemed obvious.

However, as many references as there are to her work (and as many unacknowledged takeovers of her theory!), a detailed and somewhat comprehensive account of the work is still missing. We had discussed and tentatively planned such a book, or special journal issue, for quite a while, and so it seemed obvious to combine this project with the current celebration.