National Innovation, Indicators and Policy

This book takes stock of what is known about the process of innovation and its effects, and the policy interventions that influence both. It provides insights into future research required to support evidence-based policy-making and makes clear the need to take a systems approach to the analysis of innovation, its outcomes and its impacts.

The contributors explore the fact that economic theory, statistical measurement and the need to achieve targets are combining to shift policy focus towards the economic and social impacts of innovation. This is forcing economists and statisticians to look for new measures, indicators, and analytical frameworks to support the public policy debate and the implementations of change necessary for success. The book emphasizes the importance of linkages and communities of practice in measuring and analyzing innovation, and focuses on:

• the importance of social sciences as well as natural sciences to the activity of innovation.
• policy-relevant discussions on the measurement gaps in the activity of innovation
• quantitative results of analysis relating to the output of innovation activities
• theoretical frameworks and concepts for measurement of the activity of innovation
• suggestions for new measurement directions for the activity of innovation which will lead into an international forum to discuss indicator development at the OECD over the next decade.

Illustrating that the expectations of innovation policies are being raised, this book will prove fascinating reading for policy analysts, economists, academics and students with an interest in innovation, industrial dynamics and science and technology.

Edited by Louise Earl, Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division (SIEID), Statistics Canada, Canada and Fred Gault, Professorial Fellow, UNU-MERIT, the Netherlands, Professor Extraordinaire and Member of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa, and Visiting Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa