Introduction to special issue on a European system of innovation

摘要

Since the publication of the seminal works of Lundvall and Nelson more than ten years ago, the concept 'national systems of innovation' has enjoyed major attention from economists and policy-makers (Lundvall, 1992; Nelson, 1993). These two books opened up an entire new research agenda seeking to explain differential patterns and levels of innovative performance in advanced capitalist economies by examining the role of institutions. Naturally, this systemic approach has been primarily used in the study of national levels. Nevertheless, the notion has been increasingly used in studies of regional and sub-regional cases, and in industrial and technological sectors (Braczyk el al, 1998; Cooke and Morgan, 1999; Edquist and McKelvey, 2000; Andersen et al, 2002; Carlsson, 1995; Braczyk et al, 1997; Malerba, 2002). Furthermore, important theoretical developments over time have established stronger links between this systemic approach and the wider organisational and evolutionary theories in economics (Edquist, 1997).