This thesis investigates issues of learning, innovation and growth by considering arguments from disparate schools of theory, and by an empirical investigation. The development of new growth theory models that demonstrate sustained growth driven by endogenous learning and innovation is reviewed. The importance of learning to the growth mechanisms of many of these models suggests that the new growth theories may have a contribution to make on the understanding of learning in industry. However, it is found that, in focusing on advancing neoclassical growth theory, the new growth theories have introduced learning in scenarios that are schematic and designed to suit the
modelling enterprise rather than to capture the nature and process of learning in industry.