GUEST EDITORS' INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON EXPLORING THE PROCESSES OF INNOVATION AND IMITATION

摘要

Innovation is a broad concept that encompasses the creation and introduction of new products or services as well as improvements or changes in the production processes, the materials and intermediate inputs, and marketing and management methods (Schumpeter, 1934). Innovation can be incremental or radical, autonomous or systemic, science- or market-driven, and might sometimes involve the use of new technologies. Innovation is also closely tied to entrepreneurial activity. Understanding the innovation process is a key task for both management and economic scholars. In fact, an organization's innovative capacity results in the generation of internal resources that are difficult to imitate and that can provide a sustainable, long-term advantage. Innovation is thus a key determinant of the heterogeneity across firms. From a social welfare perspective, innovation is the main driver of economic growth. Thus, differences in the ability to innovate at the country level might explain the inequality in the distribution of income across the world.