Innovation Systems and Capabilities in Developing Regions


Book Description

In today's knowledge-driven world, innovation and innovation systems have become key policy issues. However, the extent of knowledge that is available on these concepts in less developed countries is still relatively low. Much of what we know about innovation theory and systems has come from the developed countries and reflects their world view. This apparent knowledge deficit has major implications for less developed countries. Innovation Systems and Capabilities in Developing Regions adds to the growing body of knowledge on developing countries. The theoretical and empirical case studies presented here advance the notion that, while developing countries may not engage in frontier research, a critical knowledge base upon which these countries compete for global markets is emerging. There is evidence that state and non-state actors are increasingly emphasising policies that sit within the framework of national innovation systems. This book illuminates this shift in policy competence at national levels. The contributions in this volume highlight the need for thorough understanding of the role of diffusion-based innovation linked to technology transfer and acquisition. They also provide empirical evidence on the drivers, dynamics and impact of such innovation in developing economies and the constraints that apply. Contributors also document the application of the innovation system approach in developing countries as well as the build-up and diffusion of technological capabilities within innovation systems. Academics, higher level students, policy makers and practitioners involved with innovation and the economics of technical change, particularly in developing countries, will find this a valuable book.




Handbook of Innovation Systems and Developing Countries


Book Description

The innovation systems (IS) approach emerged as a theoretical framework in the industrialized world in the mid-1990s to explain innovation and growth in the developed world. This Handbook is the first attempt to adapt the IS approach to developing countries from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint. The Handbook brings eminent scholars in economics, innovation and development studies together with promising young researchers to review the literature and push theoretical boundaries. They critically review the IS approach and its adequacy for developing countries, discuss the relationship between IS and development, and address the question of how it should be adapted to the realities of developing nations. Spanning national, sectoral and regional innovation systems across Asia, Latin America and Africa, and written by the world s leading scholars within the field, this comprehensive Handbook will strongly appeal to academics, researchers and students with an interest in innovation and technology in developing countries.




The Geography of Innovation: Local Hotspots and Global Innovation Networks


Book Description

Through successive industrial revolutions, the geography of innovation around the globe has changed radically, and with it the geography of wealth creation and prosperity. Since the Third Industrial Revolution, high incomes are increasingly metropolitan, leading to a renewal of inter-regional divergence within countries. These metropolitan areas are also hotbeds of innovation. At the same time, global networks for the production and delivery of goods and services have expanded greatly in recent decades. The globalization of production is mirrored in the globalization of innovation. This paper argues that the emerging geography of innovation can be characterized as a globalized hub-to-hub system, rather than a geography of overall spread of innovation. Although much attention has been given to explaining the rise and growth of innovation clusters, there is as yet no unified framework for the micro-foundations of the agglomeration and dispersion of innovation. In addition, there appear to be strong links between growing geographical inequality of innovation and prosperity, particularly within countries. This is particularly relevant in the context of declining overall research productivity, which could be driving growing geographical concentration. All in all, there is a rich agenda for continuing to investigate the relationship between the geography of innovation, economic development and income distribution.




Knowledge, Complexity and Innovation Systems


Book Description

The book addresses the relationship between knowledge, complexity and innovation systems. It integrates research findings from a broad area including economics, business studies, management studies, geography, mathematics and science & technology contributions from a wide range group of international experts. In particular, it offers insights about knowledge creation and spillovers, innovation and learning systems, innovation diffusion processes and innovation policies. The contributions provide an excellent coverage of current conceptual and theoretical developments and valuable insights from both empirical and conceptual work. The reader gets an overview about the state of the art of the role of innovation systems and knowledge creation and diffusion in geographical space.




Innovation and the Development Agenda


Book Description

Innovation drives long-term economic growth. This book examines the role of innovation in developing countries, with a focus on Africa.




Innovacities: impact of regional innovation systems on the competitive strategies of cities


Book Description

The term innovation has been a concept excessively manipulated by government leaders, important businessmen, academicians, consultants and journalists, trying to sell a motive to those who want or need a change, whether they are accustomed to buying products in an exaggerated way with no other purpose than supporting consumer habits, or to those who practically do not need them. We have observed in innumerable cases of world stature that innovation is prompted by the desire to enter and remain in economies of marked consumer capitalism, and in all these cases it has been noted that if the entrepreneurs, companies, cities, regions or countries are not ready to promote and support innovation in a socially inclusive and democratic fashion, these efforts are useless and only superficial changes, not administered to democratize in any true depth, are achieved.




Metropolitan Innovation Systems


Book Description

This book presents the fmdings of a comparative study of three European metropolitan regions: Vienna, Barcelona and Stockholm. The heart of the work consists of empirical studies carefully designed and developed in order to identify the main actors and mechanisms supporting technological innovation in each of the metropolitan regions. The authors have also highlighted the similarities and differences across regions and countries, investigating how these came to be, and discussing the possible implications. The introductory as well as the concluding Chapter was written by Manfred M. Fischer who, assisted by Attila Varga, was also responsible for Chapter 2 on the Metropolitan Region of Vienna. Javier Revilla Diez contributed Chapter 3 on the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. Folke Snickars has provided Chapter 4 which examines the Metropolitan Region of Stockholm and. All authors have reviewed and commented on the whole contents so that the volume represents a collective endeavour which has been rendered as homogeneous as possible. A particular effort has been made to ensure that the study is based on a common conceptual framework.




Innovation in Developing and Transition Countries


Book Description

This edited volume offers a multidisciplinary perspective on innovation challenges and innovative practices in the context of developing and transition countries. The contributions mostly embrace a national innovation system approach in an attempt to understand innovation processes and their implications at both macro and micro levels.




Sectoral Systems of Innovation and Production in Developing Countries


Book Description

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the quantity and quality of research focused on the processes through which technological capabilities are acquired by countries significantly behind the economic frontier, and the institutions that effectively support the catching up process. This book is a splendid contribution to this literature. The concept of a sectoral innovation system is well suited for framing studies of these kinds of questions, and serves well to unify the many interesting empirical studies in the book. Some of those studies are success stories, others of less successful cases. Readers new to this body of research will find this book a great introduction. All readers will learn a lot from it about what is required for and involved in economic development. Richard R. Nelson, Columbia Earth Institute, US and University of Manchester, UK This book examines in detail the features and dynamics of sectoral systems of innovation and production in developing countries. Processes of rapid growth are usually associated with specific sectors such as automobiles, electronics or software, as well as with the transformation of traditional sectors such as agriculture and food. The book shows, however, that the variations across all these sectors in terms of structure and dynamics is so great that a full understanding of these differences is necessary if innovation is to be encouraged and growth sustained. The expert contributors promote this understanding by drawing upon empirical evidence from a wide range of sectoral systems, from traditional to high technology, and across a number of countries. They explore how these systems change and evolve, highlighting policy lessons to be drawn from the analysis. Case studies include the Brazilian aeronautical, pulp and paper industries, the Korean machine tool sector, motorbike manufacture in Thailand and Vietnam, pharmaceuticals and telecommunication equipment in India, ICT in Taiwan, the biofuels sector in Tanzania, salmon farming in Chile and software in Uruguay. Scholars and researchers in the fields of economics development economics in particular and innovation will find this book to be of great interest. Policymakers and managers focussing on innovation and growth in developing countries will also warmly welcome the book.