Innovation is the creation of new, technologically feasible, commercially realisable products and processes and, if things go right, it emerges from the ongoing interaction of innovative organisations such as universities, research institutes, firms, government agencies and venture capitalists. Innovation in Complex Social Systems uses a "hard science" approach to examine innovation in a new way. Its contributors come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including social and natural sciences, computer science, and mathematics. Using cutting-edge methodology, they deal with the complex aspects of socio-economic innovation processes. Its approach opens up a new paradigm for innovation research, making innovation understandable and tractable using tools such as computational network analysis and agent-based simulation. This book of new work combines empirical analysis with a discussion of the tools and methods used to successfully investigate innovation from a range of international experts, and will be of interest to postgraduate students and scholars in economics, social science, innovation research and complexity science.

The growth of evolutionary thinking has had a profound impact on economic theory and related fields such as strategy and technological innovation. An important paradigm that underlies the evolutionary theory of innovation is neo-Darwinian evolution. According to this paradigm, evolution is gradualist and based on the mechanisms of variation, selection, and retention. Since the 1970s, theoretical advancements in evolutionary biology have recognised the central role of punctuated equilibrium, speciation, and exaptation. However, despite their significant influence in evolutionary biology, these advancements have been reflected only partially in evolutionary approaches to economics, strategy, and innovation. The aim of this book is to review these advancements and explore their implications, with a particular emphasis on the role of serendipity and unprestateability in innovation and novelty creation.

Entrepreneurial Complexity: Methods and Applications deals with theoretical and practical results of Entrepreneurial Sciences and Management (ESM), emphasising qualitative and quantitative methods. ESM has been a modern and exciting research field in which methods from various disciplines have been applied. However, the existing body of literature lacks the proper use of mathematical and formal models; individuals who perform research in this broad interdisciplinary area have been trained differently. In particular, they are not used to solving business-oriented problems mathematically. This book utilises formal techniques in ESM as an advantage for developing theories and models which are falsifiable. Features Discusses methods for defining and measuring complexity in entrepreneurial sciences Summarises new technologies and innovation-based techniques in entrepreneurial sciences Outlines new formal methods and complexity-models for entrepreneurship To date no book has been dedicated exclusively to use formal models in Entrepreneurial Sciences and Management

This book presents for the first time a coherent analysis of the development of innovation theory from the nineteenth century to the present day. It examines the emergence of different theories of innovation in different periods, and how they compete for dominance today. Specifically, it looks at three paradigms within innovation theory - entrepreneurship, the rise of technology and strategic behaviour. This book will be essential reading for academics interested in innovation, technology and industrial organization.

In recent years, scientists have applied the principles of complex systems science to increasingly diverse fields. The results have been nothing short of remarkable: their novel approaches have provided answers to long-standing questions in biology, ecology, physics, engineering, computer science, economics, psychology and sociology. "Unifying Themes in Complex Systems" is a well established series of carefully edited conference proceedings that serve the purpose of documenting and archiving the progress of cross-fertilization in this field. About NECSI: For over 10 years, The New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) has been instrumental in the development of complex systems science and its applications. NECSI conducts research, education, knowledge dissemination, and community development around the world for the promotion of the study of complex systems and its application for the betterment of society. NECSI hosts the International Conference on Complex Systems and publishes the NECSI Book Series in conjunction with Springer Publishers.

This comprehensive handbook represents a definitive state of the current art and science of food waste from multiple perspectives. The issue of food waste has emerged in recent years as a major global problem. Recent research has enabled greater understanding and measurement of loss and waste throughout food supply chains, shedding light on contributing factors and practical solutions. This book includes perspectives and disciplines ranging from agriculture, food science, industrial ecology, history, economics, consumer behaviour, geography, theology, planning, sociology, and environmental policy among others. The Routledge Handbook of Food Waste addresses new and ongoing debates around systemic causes and solutions, including behaviour change, social innovation, new technologies, spirituality, redistribution, animal feed, and activism. The chapters describe and evaluate country case studies, waste management, treatment, prevention, and reduction approaches, and compares research methodologies for better understanding food wastage. This book is essential reading for the growing number of food waste scholars, practitioners, and policy makers interested in researching, theorising, debating, and solving the multifaceted phenomenon of food waste.

"This handbook brings together evaluation approaches relevant across the program life cycle, starting from program design, to implementation, and ultimately to the scaling up of successful interventions. It fills a gap in available publications, which are predominantly focused on impact evaluations and inadequately grounded in methods that can address why programs succeed or fail as well as their potential to contribute to broader and more systemic change. This chapter starts by setting the context and describes key questions relevant to each stage of the program lifecycle. The second section highlights four cross-cutting consideration that social programs today must confront including: (1) ensuring culturally responsive and equitable evaluations, (2) the decolonization of evaluation practices, (3) adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises, and (4) understanding the impact of climate change on social programs. The last section describes how this handbook can be used and highlights relevant evaluation topics and case studies covered in each section of the handbook"--

These proceedings represent the work of contributors to the 16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECIE 2021), hosted by ISCTE Business School, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal on 16-17 September 2021. The Conference Chair is Dr. Florinda Matos and the Programme Co-Chairs are Prof Maria de Fátima Ferreiro, Prof Álvaro Rosoi and Prof Isabel Salavisa all from Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal. ECIE is a well-established event on the academic research calendar and now in its 16th year, the key aim remains the opportunity for participants to share ideas and meet the people who hold them. The conference was due to be held at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal, but due to the global Covid-19 pandemic it was moved online to be held as a virtual event. The scope of papers will ensure an interesting two days. The subjects covered illustrate the wide range of topics that fall into this important and ever-growing area of research. The keynote presentation is given by Soumodip Sarkar, Vice-Rector, from University of Évora, Portugal on the topic of Social Intelligence. The second day of the conference will open with an address by Professor Vittorio Loreto, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, who will talk about Exploring the adjacent possible: play, anticipation, surprise.

This book explores how complexity science and social simulation can be used to improve and inform policy-making in both research and innovation. Beginning with an introduction to conceptual definitions of complexity science and social simulation, the book demonstrates the validity of the underlying integrated research framework used throughout. It is then divided into two parts, with the first investigating the effects and impacts of policy making on the structure, composition and outputs of research and innovation networks using the agent-based SKIN platform (Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks, http://cress.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SKIN/). The second half of the book discusses a research initiative funded by the Irish government focusing on innovation policy simulation for economic recovery. This consists of empirical research on Irish research and innovation networks, and SKIN-based simulations of technology transfer issues and the commercialization of research in areas with high potential for innovation and economic growth. The book concludes with reflections on the maturity and utility of an approach combining complexity science and social simulation for research and innovation policy. Joining Complexity Science and Social Simulation for Innovation Policy will be of particular interest to scientists concerned with innovation and complex systems, including economists, sociologists, and complexity researchers, as well as students and practitioners, such as innovation policymakers and innovation business managers.