How do countries grow — and why do some make it to the technological frontier while others get stuck halfway there?

In this episode of Horizont VŠE, our guest Ayaz Zeynalov, economist and author of the study Innovation vs. Imitation: How to Reach the Technological Frontier, explains how nations initially develop by imitating foreign technologies, but eventually must innovate on their own to keep advancing. Otherwise, they risk falling into the so-called middle-income trap.

We discuss:

• what the “technological frontier” really means and why it’s so hard to reach,

• why imitation-driven growth eventually runs out of steam,

• and how education, institutions, and business dynamics shape a country’s path toward innovation.

A conversation about where imitation ends and true progress begins — and why it matters to all of us.