Synopses & Reviews
The slowdown of growth in Western industrialized nations in the last twenty years, along with the rise of Japan as a major economic and technological power (and enhanced technical sophistication of Taiwan, Korea, and other NICs) has led to what the authors believe to be a "techno-nationalism." This combines a strong belief that technological capabilities of a nation's firms are a key source of their competitive process, with a belief that these capabilities are in a sense national, and can be built by national action. This book is about these national systems of technical innovation. The heart of the work contains studies of seventeen countries--from large market-oriented industrialized ones to several smaller high income ones, including a number of newly industrialized states as well. Clearly written, this work highlights institutions and mechanisms which support technical innovation, showing similarities, differences, and their sources across nations, making this work accessible to students as well as the scholars of innovation.
Review
"This book is a classic which will raise the discussion of comparative technology and innovation policies to a new level of sophistication in both description and understanding. It provides an indispensable conceptual framework for future debates over policies and strategies to enhance U.S. economic performance."--Harvey Brooks, Harvard University
"An admirably balanced examination of innovation in industry....As a collection of papers from different authors, the book is unusually coherent in its scope and analysis. It provides a wealth of information not just about technology policies, but about the institutional and cultural factors which influence each country's industrial performance....An important contribution towards more balanced discussion of high-tech issues and more rational government policies."--Financial Times
"Highly informative report on the systems for innovation."--Foreign Affairs
"It deserves a place on the bookshelves of business enterprises, operating R&D facilities both at home and abroad, university and college libraries, and academic and other researchers."--Journal of Product Innovation Management
"This work provides a succinct presentation of the innovation and technological development schema of many of the world's important economies."--Academy of Management Review
Table of Contents
Contributors
1. Technical Innovation and National Systems, Richard R. Nelson and Nathan Rosenberg
Part I: Large High-Income Countries
2. The U.S. National Innovation System, David C. Mowery and Nathan Rosenberg
3. The Japanese System of Innovaton: Past, Present, and Future, Hiroyuki Odagiri and Akira Goto
4. The National System for Technical Innovation in Germany, Otto Keck
5. National Innovation Systems: Britain, William Walker
6. The French National System of Innovation, Francois Chesnais
7. The National System of Innovation: Italy, Franco Malerba
Part II: Smaller High-Income Countries
8. Comparing the Danish and Swedish Systems of Innovation, Charles Edquist and Bengt-Ake Lundvall
9. The Canadian System of Industrial Innovation, Donald G. McFetridge
10. The Australian Innovation System, Robert G. Gregory
Part III: Lower Income Countries
11. National System of Industrial Innovation: Dynamics of Capability Building in Korea, Linsu Kim
12. National Systems Supporting Technical Advance in Industry: The Case of Taiwan, Chi-Ming Hou and San Gee
13. National Systems Supporting Technical Advance in Industry: The Brazilian Experience, Carl J. Dalhman and Claudio R. Frischtak
14. National Systems of Innovation Supporting Technical Advance in Industry: The Case of Argentina, Jorge M. Katz and Nestor A. Bercovich
15. The Innovation System of Israel: Description, Performance, and Outstanding Issues, Morris Teubal
Part IV: National Innovation Systems
16. A Retrospective, Richard R. Nelson
Index