The Meaning of Innovation: A Reflection on the Morality and Political Economy of Innovation (Ethical Economy, 70) - Hardcover

Myklebust, Alexander

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3032015502 ISBN 13: 9783032015501

Publisher: Springer, 2025

Synopsis

This book contributes to contemporary debates on innovation by taking a philosophical approach to interpreting the development of key concepts in the neo-Schumpeterian tradition of innovation studies undergirding current innovation policy frameworks concerned with sustainable transformations. Interpreting the concepts “directionality,” “national systems of innovation” and “mission-oriented innovation” in a historical light, this book aims to contribute to the clarification of their meaning as belonging to a tradition of economic and social thought which has its roots in various debates on political economy since the early modern period. Specifically, the book explores how leading neo-Schumpeterian scholar Christopher Freeman synthesized the ideas of Friedrich List and Joseph Schumpeter in order to challenge what he saw as the neoclassical orthodoxy of his day, and to what extent this synthesis might anticipate present day directional policies for transformative change. Written from a post-metaphysical philosophical perspective, and engaging with core concepts in innovation studies and innovation policy, this work is of great interest to a broad readership within both fields.

About this title

About the Author

Alexander Myklebust is Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Geography and Social Anthropology, NTNU: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He obtained his PhD at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the same university. His research on innovation combines empirical and conceptual work, and draws on concepts and approaches from philosophy, innovation studies and science and technology studies.

From the Back Cover

This book contributes to contemporary debates on innovation by taking a philosophical approach to interpreting the development of key concepts in the neo-Schumpeterian tradition of innovation studies undergirding current innovation policy frameworks concerned with sustainable transformations. Interpreting the concepts “directionality,” “national systems of innovation” and “mission-oriented innovation” in a historical light, this book aims to contribute to the clarification of their meaning as belonging to a tradition of economic and social thought which has its roots in various debates on political economy since the early modern period. Specifically, the book explores how leading neo-Schumpeterian scholar Christopher Freeman synthesized the ideas of Friedrich List and Joseph Schumpeter in order to challenge what he saw as the neoclassical orthodoxy of his day, and to what extent this synthesis might anticipate present day directional policies for transformative change. Written from a post-metaphysical philosophical perspective, and engaging with core concepts in innovation studies and innovation policy, this work is of great interest to a broad readership within both fields.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3032015502
• ISBN 13: 9783032015501
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192