The role of the common innovation infrastructure in economic transition

Abstract

Knowledge, innovation, and the pursuit of economic growth are concepts that the economists and policy makers around the world continue to investigate. As policy makers strive to improve the welfare of their nations, research suggests that perhaps innovation is the key that will unlock the gates of prosperity. Frameworks have been developed on how countries should build innovation capacity such as the study done by Furman, Porter and Stern (2002). These frameworks have been used to test developed nations such as Australia, Denmark and the United States as well as developing nations such as Taiwan and South Korea. Their findings suggest that certain strategies were more effective at fostering innovation in developed countries than in developing countries, highlighting that the effects of policy innovation are not homogeneous. This report investigated the innovation strategies that countries use to encourage innovation in order to induce economic transition. The findings suggest that there is an existence of the common innovation infrastructure in countries that are transitioning from efficiency-driven to innovation-driven development. These countries are using the common innovation infrastructure to encourage innovation. However, some countries are more effective at encouraging innovation than others. Measures that work for one country may not necessarily work for others.