Abstract
Sustainability is nowadays a main objective of society. It is not enough to struggle for economic development; this development and innovation that supports it must have in due count people happiness and ecological restrictions. Given the global pressure on innovation capabilities and sustainability of ecosystems, many studies try to measure the economic development of countries, linking it to investment in Intellectual Capital.
In this context, intangible assets management and, specifically, Intellectual Capital (IC) and Knowledge Management (KM), became generally acknowledged Innovation factors. This chapter is about the possible causal relations between the concepts National Intellectual Capital (NIC), Innovation (INOV), Competitivity (COMP) and Sustainability (SUST).
Seeing IC as a creative potential for new ideas and concepts, it is generally believed that Innovation, being the potential of transformation of new ideas and concepts into real products and services, is strongly influenced (caused) by IC: after all, the innovation must be preceded by the idea. In the same way, the efficiency of transformation of new ideas into products seems to heavily depend on new ideas related with industrial production, work organization and management, which seems to justify the notion that it makes sense to assume causal effects between IC and INOV and IC and COMP. Although IC, INOV and COMP have specific pathways in each country, it makes also sense to assume that all these variables affect, negatively or positively, the wellbeing of future generations. This chapter is a quantitative research on the validity of these theoretical hypotheses. Having this target in mind, an exploratory model for those relations was built and estimated using observational available open data from international sources for each one off the mentioned variables. The main supporting methodologies employed were descriptive multivariate data analysis techniques and PLS path modelling. In terms of originality, this empirical study aims to contribute to stimulate the emergence of data driven discussions about the factors that determine the sustainability of countries, aiming the formulation of policies and strategic planning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Andriessen, D. (2004). Making sense of intellectual capital: Designing a method for the valuation of intangibles. Oxford: Elsevier.
Andriessen, D., & Stam, C. (2004). Intellectual capital of the European Union: Measuring the Lisbon agenda. Holland University of professional education, de Baak—Management Centre VNO-NCW: Centre for Research in Intellectual Capital. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.bvekennis.nl/Bibliotheek/05-0048_Measuring_Lisbon_agenda.pdf
Andriessen, D., & Stam, C. (2005). Intellectual capital of the European Union. ON, Canada: Hamilton.
Atkinson, R. D. (2002). The 2002 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking economic transformation in the states. The Progressive Policy Institute. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.itif.org/files/2002-new-state-econ-index.pdf
Bontis, N. (2005). National intellectual capital index: The benchmarking of Arab countries. In A. Bounfour & L. Edvinsson (Eds.), Intellectual capital for communities: Nations, regions, and cities (pp. 113–138). Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth–Heinemann.
Bounfour, A. (2005). Assessing performance of European innovations systems: An intellectual capital indexes perspective. In A. Bounfour & L. Edvinsson (Eds.), Intellectual capital for communities: Nations, regions, and cities (pp. 97–112). Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth–Heinemann.
Bradley, K. (1997). Intellectual capital and the new wealth of nations. Business, Strategy Review, 8(1), 53–62.
Chen, D. H. C., & Dahlman, C. J.. (2005, October 19). The knowledge economy, the KAM methodology and World Bank operations. World Bank Institute Working Chapter No. 37256. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://ssrn.com/abstract=841625
Corrado, C., Hulten, C., & Sichel, D. (2009). Intangible capital and U.S. economic growth. Review of Income and Wealth, 55, 661–685.
Edvinsson, L. (2002). Corporate longitude: Navigating the knowledge economy. BookHouse Pub.
Edvinsson, L., & Malone, M. S. (1997). Intellectual capital: Realizing your company’s true value by finding its hidden brainpower. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
Edvinsson, L., & Stenfelt, C. (1999). Intellectual capital of nations for future wealth creation. Journal of Human Resource Costing and Accounting, 4(1), 21–33.
EIS. (2011). European innovation scoreboard 2011: Comparative analysis of innovation performance. MERIT. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/705c770c-68f7-4f90-ac2b-618cc6cc8ed7/language-en/format-PDF
EU. (2006). Evaluating the effectiveness of European ICT R&D and Innovation Systems. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://ec.europa.eu/research/evaluations/pdf/archive/fp6-evidence-base/evaluation_studies_and_reports/evaluation_studies_and_reports_2006/evaluating_effectiveness_of_european_ict_r&d_and_innovation_system__2006.pdf
Lazuka, V. (2012). National intellectual capital: Concept and measurement. Master thesis, School of Economics and Management, Lund University.
Lin, C. Y.-Y., & Edvinsson, L. (2008). National intellectual capital: Comparison of the Nordic countries. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 9(4), 525–545.
Lin, C. Y.-Y., & Edvinsson, L. (2011). National intellectual capital: A comparison of 40 countries. New York: Springer.
Lin, C. Y.-Y., Edvinsson, L., Chen, J., & Beding, T. (2013). National intellectual capital and the financial crisis in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. New York: Springer Verlag.
Luca, M., Bolici, R., & Deakin, M. (2017). The first two decades of smart-city research: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Urban Technology, 24(1), 3–27.
Malhotra, Y. (2000). Knowledge assets in the global economy: Assessment of national intellectual capital. Journal of Global Information Management, 8, 5–15.
Malhotra, Y. (2003). Measuring knowledge assets of a nation: Knowledge systems for development. In Ad Hoc Group meeting Knowledge for Development.
Matos, F., Vairinhos, V., & Rodrigues, S. (2015). Mapping the intellectual capital of cities and regions. In Proceedings GBATA 2015, 17th Annual International Conference of the Global Business and Technology Association, Peniche, Portugal.
Meritum. (2001). Guidelines for managing and reporting on intangibles (intellectual capital report). [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.pnbukh.com/files/pdf_filer/MERITUM_Guidelines.pdf
Mouritsen, J., Bukh, P., & Marr, B. (2003). Intellectual capital statements—The new guideline. Copenhagen: Danish Ministry of Sciences Technology and Innovation.
Navarro, J. L. A., Ruiz, V. R. L., & Peña, D. N. (2011). Estimation of intellectual capital in the European Union using a knowledge model. Zbornik Radova Ekonomskog Fakultet u Rijeci, 29(1), 109–132.
OECD. (2006). Intellectual assets and value creation: Implications for corporate reporting. Paris: OECD. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from www.oecd.org/dataoecd/2/40/37811196.pdf
OECD. (2012, May 23–24). OECD week. Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level. Paris. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.oecd.org/general/50452962.pdf
Pasher, E. (1999). The intellectual capital of the state of Israel. Herzlia Pituach, Edna Pasher & Associates.
Pasher, E., & Shachar, S. (2005). The intellectual capital of the state of Israel. In A. Bounfour & L. Edvinsson (Eds.), Intellectual capital for communities (pp. 139–150). Jordan Hill, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth–Heinemann.
Pasher, E., & Shachar, S. (2007). The intellectual capital of the state of Israel: 60 years of achievement. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://innovationisrael.org.il/sites/default/files/מאזן%20ההון%20האינטלקטואלי%20של%20מדינת%20ישראל%20-%20Intellectual%20Capital.pdf
Pearl, J. (2010). An introduction to causal inference. https://doi.org/10.2202/1557-4679.1203 [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ijb.2010.6.2/ijb.2010.6.2.1203/ijb.2010.6.2.1203.xml
Pulic, A. (2005). Value creation efficiency at national and regional levels: Case study—Croatia and the European Union. In A. Bounfour & L. Edvinsson (Eds.), Intellectual capital for communities: Nations, regions, and cities (pp. 197–213). Jordan Hill, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth–Heinemann.
Rembe, A. (1999). The governmental invest in Sweden agency—ISA: Report 1999. Stockholm: Halls Offset AB.
Rodrigues, L. L., Tejedo-Romero, F., & Craig, R. (2017). Corporate governance and intellectual capital reporting in a period of financial crisis: Evidence from Portugal. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 14(1), 1–29.
Saisana & Philippas (2012). Sustainable society index (SSI): Taking societies’ pulse along social, environmental and economic issues. https://doi.org/10.2788/6330.
Sanchez, G. (2013). PLS path modeling with R. Berkeley: Trowchez Editions.
Schiuma, G., Lerro, A., & Carlucci, D. (2008). The knoware tree and the regional intellectual capital index: An assessment within Italy. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 9(2).
Ståhle, P., & Bounfour, A. (2008). Understanding dynamics of intellectual capital of nations. Journal of Intellectual Capital, special issue of Intellectual Capital of Communities: The Next Step, 9, 164–177.
Ståhle, S., & Ståhle, P. (2012). Towards measures of national intellectual capital: An analysis of the CHS model. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 13, 164–177.
UN. (2012). A/66/L.56 The future we want. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_66_288.pdf
UN. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Retrieved February 3, 2018, from http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E
UNDP. (2000). Survey of economic and social development in the ESCWA region 1999–2000, United National Development Programme Research Paper. New York. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/428618/files/E_ESCWA_ED_2000_2-EN.pdf
UNPAN. (2003, September 4–5). Expanding public space for the development of the knowledge society. In Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Knowledge Systems for Development. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from www.unpan.org
Utama, A. A. G. S., & Mirhard, R. R. (2016). The influence of sustainability report disclosure as moderating variable towards the impact of intellectual capital on company’s performance. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 6(3), 1262–1269.
Vairinhos, V. M. (2003). Desarrollo de un Sistema para Minería de Datos Basado en los Métodos Biplot. Tesis Doctoral. Salamanca, España: Universidad de Salamanca (USAL).
Van Buuren, S. (2000). Multivariate imputation by chained equations. MICE V1.0 User’s manual.
Van de Kerk, G., & Manuel, A. (2014). Sustainable society index 2014. The Sustainable Society Foundation.
Viedma, J. M. (2001). ICBS intellectual capital benchmarking system. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 2(2), 148–164.
Viedma, J. M. (2003). CICBS: Cities’ International Capital Benchmarking System. A methodology and a framework for measuring and managing intellectual capital of cities. A practical application in the city of Mataró. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://intellectualcapitalmanagementsystems.com/publicaciones/CICBS.pdf
Vinzi, V. E., Chin, W. W., Henseles, J., & Wag, H. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of partial least squares: Concepts, methods and applications. London: Springer.
WEF. (2006). The Lisbon Review: Measuring Europe’s progress in reform. World Economic Forum. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://akgul.bilkent.edu.tr/WEF/2006/lisbonreview-report2006.pdf
WEF. (2008). The Lisbon Review 2008: Measuring Europe’s progress in reform. World Economic Forum. [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from http://akgul.bilkent.edu.tr/WEF/2008/TheLisbonReview2008.pdf
WEF. (2010). The Lisbon Review 2010: Towards a more competitive Europe? [Online]. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from https://pt.scribd.com/document/30852400/The-Lisbon-Review-2010
Weziak, D. (2007). Measurement of national intellectual capital: Application to EU countries. IRISS Working Paper Series, 2007 (pp. 1–45).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vairinhos, V., Matos, F., Matos, A.J. (2019). National Intellectual Capital Influence on Innovation and Sustainability. In: Matos, F., Vairinhos, V., Selig, P.M., Edvinsson, L. (eds) Intellectual Capital Management as a Driver of Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-79051-0_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-79051-0_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-79050-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-79051-0
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)