The Sources of Belgian Prosperity

Abstract

As pointed out by Edquist (1997), adopting an historical perspective is natural in an analysis of national systems of innovation. ‘To have an historical perspective is not only an advantage when studying processes of innovation, but also necessary if we are to understand them…. History matters very much in processes of innovation as they are often path dependent: small events are reinforced and become crucially important through positive feedback’ (Edquist, 1997, p.19). In his retrospective of a survey of some national innovation systems, Nelson (1993) was struck by the institutional continuity in countries with long histories, with many institutions in France, Britain, Germany, and Japan having been in existence for more than a century. In these countries, the behaviour of actors has been ‘shaped by a shared historical experience and culture’. Although Belgium changed into a federal state mainly because of major cultural differences, the regions and communities remain linked by strong historical and cultural factors and will certainly so remain for a long time.