In several parts of the world, countries are undergoing economic, social, and political transitions, enhanced and accelerated by the forces of globalization. These transition economies can serve as laboratories for understanding the innovation process. This volume features original theoretical and empirical research. It offers the first comprehensive view of innovation system development in the context of small catching-up economies. Smallness, path dependency, and latecomer status of such economies create some inherent limitations for their innovation systems, but these special characteristics can offer advantages as well. For example, smallness is often related with increased flexibility and shorter reaction times, while latecomers can benefit from earlier experiences of their more advanced neighbors. Path-dependency highlights the fact that the innovation system development processes are considerably influenced by the past experience of a particular country or region. By incorporating these features into an integrated analysis, the authors address such questions as: · What special features characterize the innovation system development in small catching-up economies? · What are the causes for innovation success or failure? · How do organizational capabilities and internationalization tendencies relate to company level innovations? · What is the role of human capital and social factors in the innovation process? · How can various policies support innovation in an integrated manner? Drawing from research about Europe, Asia, and Latin America, the authors provide readers with a systemic view of the innovation system development in small catching-up economies. They discuss the unique features of this development and contribute to an in-depth understanding of various determinants and their impacts on the innovation process. The policy implications will offer a set of normative guidelines for enhancing innovation system development.

What are the challenges that small countries face concerning innovation and what are the effects of globalization on their innovation systems? In this very interesting, rich and timely book, Edquist and Hommen compare ten different small national innovation systems from the Asia Pacific and Northern Europe that are rather advanced in their development. The answers that the authors give are convincing and relate not only to the unique characteristics of each national system that shapes innovative activity, but also to some commonalities that exist across these countries. Franco Malerba, Bocconi University, Italy This major book presents case studies of ten small country national systems of innovation (NSIs) in Europe and Asia, namely, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan. These cases have been carefully selected as examples of success within the context of globalization and as new economies where competition is increasingly based on innovation. To facilitate comparative analysis the ten studies follow a common structure, informed by an activities-based approach to describing and analysing NSIs, which addresses the critical issues of globalization and the consequences of innovation for economic performance. The final chapter compares fast growth and slow growth countries, concentrating on issues of innovation policy. The results illustrate the usefulness of an activities-based approach to studying NSIs, point to distinctive national roles within an increasingly differentiated international division of labour and address the key themes of selectivity and coordination in innovation policy. This valuable book presents one of the most significant, comprehensive and comparative country studies of NSIs in the last decade. It will have great import and should be widely read by every serious student and scholar of innovation studies.

A highly original book that provides policy solutions for development challenges, framing them with insightful and inventive allegories.

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.

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 book by Jorge Niosi, Building National and Regional Innovation Systems is a welcome and timely contribution to the literature. The book is about how to promote science, technology and innovation for development and catching up in developing countries. Niosi presents a clear opinion of how countries should stimulate catching up. . . This book is highly recommendable to students, researchers and policy-makers. It is commendable more for its clearly stated and thought-provoking messages than for its empirical examples. I found that the examples are used more to demonstrate the correctness of Niosi's arguments than to critically investigate their relevance.' - Arne Isaksen, Papers in Regional Science

The idea behind this book is that institutions are important when it comes to explaining the specialisation and performance of national innovation systems. The idea is not new. But largely the institution-concept has remained somewhat vague and unspecified in the literature. This book is valuable since it succeeds in opening up the black box of institutions and organisations. The distinction between institutions at different levels and how they link up and form a systemic whole is especially original and fruitful. The interdisciplinary team behind the book has also produced a welcome antidote to the current tendency to benchmark innovation systems exclusively on the basis of quantitative indicators. The analysis demonstrates that some national systems do better in some specific areas because of being supported by institutions that are sometimes deeply rooted in history and culture. This is why imitating best-practice across countries is not a straight forward thing to do. Bengt-Åke Lundvall, Aalborg University, Denmark Innovation and Institutions is an extensive elaboration on the make up of systems of innovation. It examines why some countries are more innovative than others, why national styles of innovation differ, and goes on to explore why some countries make radical innovations but fail to successfully market them, whilst others making incremental innovations have more commercial success. The book draws on a variety of different literatures and perspectives to illustrate the organizational and institutional dimensions of national innovation systems. Literatures discussed include the economics of innovation, organizational sociology, administrative science, institutional economics, organizational learning, network analysis, business systems, economic governance and regulation. This truly interdisciplinary book will be invaluable to academics and researchers focussing on innovation in a wide range of fields. It will also strongly appeal to practitioners and policymakers concerned with innovation.