Networks, National Innovation Systems and Self-Organisation

Abstract

The concept of National Innovation System [NSI] has acquired considerable importance due to the work of Lundvall (1988), Freeman (1987) and Nelson (1993a). The NSI can be defined as the set of institutions and organisations responsible for the creation and adoption of innovations in a country. The origin of the concept of NSI can be related to the observation that the higher intensity of innovation in particular countries, which may have socioeconomic systems that are otherwise identical to other countries, is not explained simply by greater R&D expenditure by firms or by public research institutions. We can observe that individual countries show persistent asymmetries at two levels:

• The structure of output. Considerable differences exist in the composition of output, and the sectors or sub-sectors in which countries are competitive, with these differences tending to be stable for long periods of time.

• The institutions. The institutions and organisations used in different countries to achieve comparable aims, such as the promotion of innovation, can be very different, and again these differences can persist for very long periods of time.