This book analyses the role of the OECD in diffusing policy innovations. Through the study of regulatory impact analysis (RIA), it shows how transnational networks affect national policy process. De Francesco's analytical framework encompasses the institutional features as well as internal and international determinants of a policy innovation such as RIA. Drawing on original data sets, three empirical analyses assess to what extent government decisions to adopt, implement, and evaluate RIA were driven by the OECD. Transnational Policy Innovation argues that concepts of policy innovation diffusion provide a useful framework for understanding the dynamics of transnational governance. It shows that the OECD has been successful in framing and diffusing a template of evidence-based decision making. However, downplaying RIA as an instrument of political control has limited the influence of the OECD's peer review and comparative indicators on the administrative and institutional setting.

'The book is quite valuable, with its broad international coverage of state activities in the area of research and innovation support. It should also foster serious debates on the balance between public and private efforts in research and innovation.' - Mats Benner, Journal of Economic Literature '. . . this book provides the reader with a valuable summary of national public policy approaches to research and innovation at the end of the twentieth century and is a useful addition to the shelves of industrial policy experts.' - David Gray, Entrepreneurship and Innovation The book analyses the evolution of research and innovation policies in the world's leading countries. The last decade has witnessed a radical transformation of the landscape shaped after World War II, as described in the seminal collection edited by Richard Nelson in the early 1990s. Even though national systems have inherited different institutional arrangements and trajectories, analyses show three major converging trends in their public policies. There has been a retraction from support to large firms and programmes and a shift toward small to medium enterprises and the innovation infrastructure; the focus on public research and training capabilities is growing; and there has been a redesign of public intervention with the growing role of regions and states on one hand and multinational authorities on the other, particularly in the European Union.

This series of books brings together results of an intensive research programme on aspects of the national systems of innovation (NSI) in the five BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It provides a comprehensive and comparative examination of the challenges and opportunities faced by these dynamic and emerging economies. In discussing the impact of innovation with respect to economic, geopolitical, socio-cultural, institutional, and technological systems, it reveals the possibilities of new development paradigms for equitable and sustainable growth. This volume explores the relationship between transnational corporations (TNCs) and NSI across BRICS economies. The essays highlight the role of foreign direct investment (FDI), the evolution of TNCs and examine local factors -- such as government policies, human resources, market structures, and technological capabilities -- that affect collaborative efforts with indigenous firms towards innovation and development. The authors approach the thesis of technological globalisation with some caution, refuting the idea that research and development (R&D) activities have been inexorably internationalised. Original and detailed data, together with expert analyses on wide-ranging issues, make this book an invaluable resource for researchers and scholars in economics, development studies and political science, in addition to policy makers and development practitioners interested in the BRICS countries.

The Handbook of Global Science, Technology, and Innovation This unique Handbook provides an overview of the globalization of science, technology, and innovation, including global trends in the way knowledge is produced and distributed, the development of institutions, and global policy. It shows how technological change and innovation are shaped by the role of emerging countries in the generation of science and technological knowledge, and transnational corporations, and how reforms in intellectual property rights and world trade have been affected by the increasingly international flows of knowledge, technology, and innovation. The book provides an in-depth assessment of the themes and direction of science, technology, innovation, and public policy in an increasingly globalized world. With contributions from an international team of leading scholars, this cutting-edge reference work introduces readers to current debates about the role of science and technology in global society and the policy responses that shape its development. Comprising 28 specially commissioned chapters, the Handbook addresses major trends in global policy, including a significant shift toward private scientific research, the change in the distribution of science and technical knowledge, and a heightened awareness among policymakers of the economic and technological impact of scientific activity. Accessibly written, it provides an invaluable one-stop reference for students, social researchers, scientists, and policymakers alike.

This book is the result of a comparative investigation that contrasts micro-systems of innovation in several regions of China and Australia - two vastly different countries in terms of traditions, industry structures, political systems and economic organisation. Six regional studies comprehensively document the experiences of firms engaged in product or process innovation. The book also examines the institutions that support research and development and the impact of government policies on innovation in each of the regions studied. The case-studies present original and informative insights into the different ways in which local, national and transnational interests interact and influence regional development. These findings support the view that local innovation systems are emerging with quite different structural characteristics. The authors conclude that local, national and transnational dimensions are continually redefining and aligning themselves in novel and interesting ways. They highlight the importance of identifying these structural relationships in order to encourage dynamic innovation to occur. This, they argue, has important implications for policymakers concerned with the promotion of innovation in regional areas.

A national innovation policy mix comprises the measures that address the innovation policy challenges of the country in question. The data series of the Erawatch and INNO Policy TrendChart initiatives of the European Commission provide a unique opportunity to explore the profiles of the national innovation policy mixes and their evolution during the past decade. In this article, the innovation policy mix per country and changes in these mixes over time are identified. The analysis covers five main policy mix profiles of the EU Member States. An unexpected similarity and stability is found in the national innovation policy mixes of the Member States even though these countries face different innovation challenges. This reflects extensive transnational policy learning, which is a welcome development, but such a similarity among heterogeneous countries might indicate that innovation policies are not being tailored effectively to the real needs and situations in each Member State.