Susana Borrás

This title was first published in 2003. During the 1990s research and technological development policies moved from a 'problem-solving' approach towards a wider one focusing on the systemic nature of the innovation process. This change can be featured as the transition from a technology policy towards an innovation policy. 'Innovation Policies in Europe and the US: The New Agenda' provides a comparative analysis of eleven highly industrialized countries’ innovation policies in the 1990s, and addresses the nature, dynamics, causes and effects of this transition. By combining the analytical skills of sociologists, economists and political scientists the book sets up a novel framework for studying the evolution of this particular policy area by examining institutional change from a broader perspective.

Holistic Innovation Policy puts forward a novel framework for the design and analysis of innovation policy. It provides a theoretically anchored foundation for the design of holistic innovation policy by identifying the core problems that tend to afflict innovations and the activities of innovation systems, including the unintended consequences of policy itself. As most of the current innovation policies focus on few determinants of innovation processes, this is a necessary stepping stone for the identification of viable, relevant, and down-to-earth policy solutions. Rather than presenting a recipe or 'how-to' guide, this book offers a critical analysis of policy instruments and their choice in innovation policy design, and considers the ways in which policy might be providing solutions to problems in systems of innovation. Exploring areas such as knowledge production and R&D, education, training and skills development, demand-side activities, interaction and innovation networks, changing institutions and regulations, and the public financing of early stage innovations, its critical and novel perspective serves policy-makers, scholars, and those interested in the design of innovation policy.

This title was first published in 2003. During the 1990s research and technological development policies moved from a 'problem-solving' approach towards a wider one focusing on the systemic nature of the innovation process. This change can be featured as the transition from a technology policy towards an innovation policy. 'Innovation Policies in Europe and the US: The New Agenda' provides a comparative analysis of eleven highly industrialized countries’ innovation policies in the 1990s, and addresses the nature, dynamics, causes and effects of this transition. By combining the analytical skills of sociologists, economists and political scientists the book sets up a novel framework for studying the evolution of this particular policy area by examining institutional change from a broader perspective.

This book provides a systematic, comprehensive, and independent comparative study of cluster policies in Europe. It focuses upon one very important relationship that has so far been neglected in the literature, namely, the extent to which the complex dynamics of multi-level governance (MLG) are responding to the problems and challenges faced by clusters, in particular the extent to which MLG learns and supports cluster learning. A range of low-tech (footwear and clothing), medium-tech (furniture and film), and high-tech (automotive and ICT) clusters at different evolutionary stages are studied in Germany, Italy, the UK, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Romania. The book explores their origins and evolution, firm configurations and interactions, knowledge sources, labour markets, levels of internationalisation, and institutional and policy frameworks. Utilising multiple methods that combine quantitative and qualitative data collected face-to-face from senior representatives of some 500 firms and institutions, the authors provide an interdisciplinary analysis and precise policy recommendations at cluster, regional, national, and EU levels. Cluster Policies in Europe will be invaluable for policy makers, advisors and management consultants in Europe and elsewhere. It will also prove essential for students and scholars of international business and management, regional, institutional and industrial economics, political economy, innovation, governance, and European studies.

In its continuing quest for competitiveness in world markets, the EU has recently moved away from a technology policy towards an innovation policy. In other words, from a strategy almost entirely focused on supporting collaborative alliances, the EU now has a broader policy vision which aims to engender a positive institutional environment for European innovators. This fresh policy direction has forced the EU to take a novel approach to understanding the relationship between public action and the innovation process at both the national and European level. Adopting a strong interdisciplinary approach, the author skilfully examines the politics and economics of the new innovation policy of the EU, addressing such diverse topics as research and knowledge production, the changing regime of intellectual property rights, building the information society, standard setting, risk assessment and the social sustainability of innovation. The conclusions pose many theoretical questions which will require further research, most notably the extent to which EU innovation policy underpins a European system of innovation. This book will be an invaluable source of reference for academics and researchers interested in the economics of innovation, EU political economy, science, technology and politics. It will also help policy makers to understand the complex interactions between regional, national and supranational innovation policy.