BRICS and Development Alternatives : Innovation Systems and Policies

The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are currently at the crossroads of major structural economic and political changes. This book provides a comparative analysis of the national innovation systems of the five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the trends in each of their science, technology and innovation policies. It makes use of an analytical framework, the concept 'systems of innovation and competence building' developed within 'Globelics' (the Global Research Network on the Economics of Learning, Innovation and Capacity Building Systems).

José Eduardo Cassiolato is Coordinator of RedeSist and Professor at the Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is also a member of Globelics Scientific Committee – a Global Research Network on the Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence.

Virginia Vitorino is policy officer at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research, International Cooperation Directorate.

Bengt-Åke Lundvall is Professor in Economics at the University of Aalborg. He has worked on science and technology issues in relation to employment and international competitiveness and currently concentrates on innovation theory, national systems of innovation and competence building and on the analysis of the economics of knowledge.