Since the first edition of this book in 1995, there has been a worldwide innovation-led economic boom and a subsequent slump, meaning enormous change has also occurred at the level of regional economies. The new edition registers this change and provides an interesting test of the robustness of the original arguments in the book. Not least, more industrial policy making is influenced by the RIS analysis, and many national and regional governments have adopted RIS approaches, along with related instruments like promotion of industry clusters, academic entrepreneurship, regional venture capital and science-led development strategies.

This book discusses the latest theoretical advances in regional innovation research, presents empirical cases involving the development of regional innovation systems (RISs), and explores regional innovation policy approaches. Grounded in the extensive literature on RISs, it addresses state-of-the-art developments in light of recent theoretical advances in economic geography and related disciplines. Written in honor of Bjørn Asheim's seventieth birthday, the book includes novel and carefully selected chapters prepared by collaborators, colleagues and former PhD-students of one of the founding fathers of RIS research. Further, it makes a significant contribution to the academic debate on regional innovation and growth and offers valuable insights for scholars and policymakers alike.

This book provides an assessment of the evolution and dynamics of regional innovation systems (RISs) and the economic and social impact of resulting knowledge spillovers, presenting comparative case studies on the regions of several Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania and Estonia). It analyses RISs on the basis of several dimensions, such as absorption capacity and intellectual capital, and using several methods such as data envelopment analysis, patent network analysis, and weighted sum approach. Further, by looking at the economic and social impact of knowledge spillovers in RISs and networking, it identifies key distinguishing factors, including foreign direct investments, still prevalent centralized decision-making, EU-driven innovation policies and public financing of innovations. Sectoral case studies, e.g. from the automobile, chemical and other hi-tech manufacturing industries, are presented to help readers understand the different types of knowledge spillovers in CEE countries and the evolution and dynamics of RISs, and provide a multifaceted overview of the CEE regions.

"This first major study of the Nordic model of enterprising universities will be of interest to theoreticians, analysts and practitioners alike, not least for the valuable factual detail that enables exploration of numerous, sometimes idealistic, concepts that ignore the barriers to communication among epistemic communities."

Over the past 25 years, the regional innovation system (RIS) approach has become a powerful framework for explaining the uneven geographical distribution of innovation in space as well as for developing policies geared towards boosting the innovation capability of regional economies. This Advanced Introduction provides a critical review and discussion of research on RIS to answer a set of core questions covering the origins of the concept and its theoretical underpinnings to the challenges for future scholarly work on RIS.

Embedding the theoretical discussion on the framework of evolutionary regional innovation systems (RIS), this book reveals the informal nature of the emerging RIS in China, within which interactive learning is organized on the basis of social networks. Furthermore, in a comparative study in the Pearl River Delta, China demonstrates that dirigiste governance in the initial industrialization phase leads to a more mature and developed RIS than does grassroots governance. The theoretical developments and empirical investigation presented in this book will grant readers a deeper understanding of the specific features of RIS within the transitional context of emerging economies.

The term innovation has been a concept excessively manipulated by government leaders, important businessmen, academicians, consultants and journalists, trying to sell a motive to those who want or need a change, whether they are accustomed to buying products in an exaggerated way with no other purpose than supporting consumer habits, or to those who practically do not need them. We have observed in innumerable cases of world stature that innovation is prompted by the desire to enter and remain in economies of marked consumer capitalism, and in all these cases it has been noted that if the entrepreneurs, companies, cities, regions or countries are not ready to promote and support innovation in a socially inclusive and democratic fashion, these efforts are useless and only superficial changes, not administered to democratize in any true depth, are achieved.

Today, economic growth is widely understood to be conditioned by productivity increases which are, in turn, profoundly affected by innovation. This volume explores these key relationships between innovation and growth, bringing together experts from both fields to compile a unique Handbook. The Handbook considers innovation from fresh perspectives, encompassing topics such as services innovation, inward investment and innovation, creative industry innovation and green innovation. It is divided into seven sections, dealing with regional innovation and growth theory, dynamics, evolution, agglomeration, innovation 'worlds', innovation system institutions, and innovation governance and policy. This definitive compendium on regional innovation and growth will undoubtedly appeal to teachers, students, researchers and practitioners of innovation and growth dynamics worldwide.

Since the first edition was published in 1998, there has been a worldwide innovation-led boom & subsequent slump. This new edition registers this change & offers an interesting test of the robustness of the original arguments.