Perspectives on Innovation

517 Pages·2007·5.2 MB·English

by  Franco Malerba

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Innovation has become a major field of study in economics,
management, sociology, science and technology, and history.
Case studies, empirical models, appreciative analyses and
formal theories abound. However, after several decades of
study on innovation, and so many different types of contribu-
tion,therearestillmanyphenomenaweknowverylittleabout.
The debate on innovation still has much to deliver; important
questions remain unanswered and many problems require
solution. Bringing together many leading figures in the field,
this collection aims to address these concerns by offering
detailed analyses of topics that are crucial for understanding
innovation. In addition, it offers discussions of topics that
researchers are just beginning to explore and of topics that
continuetodefyoureffortstounderstandandsystematize.This
important and wide-ranging collection will be essential reading
for academic researchers and graduate students who wish to
gain a broad overview of frontier-research in innovation.
Franco Malerba is Professor of Industrial Economics and
Director of CESPRI at Bocconi University, Milan.
Stefano Brusoni is Associate Professor of Applied Economics
andDeputyDirectorofCESPRIatBocconiUniversity,Milan.

Perspectives on innovation
Editors
Franco Malerba and Stefano Brusoni
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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© Cambridge University Press 2007
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without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2006
ISBN-13 978-0-511-29456-3 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-10 0-511-29456-5 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-86664-4 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-86664-2 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-68561-0 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-68561-3 paperback
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Contents
List of figure s page viii
List of tables x
List of contributors xi
Prefatory note xv
Introduction
FRANCO MALERBA AND STEFANO BRUSONI 1
Part 1: Innovation and economic growth 25
1 Understanding economic growth as the central task of
economic analysis
RICHARD R. NELSON 27
2 Innovation and economic growth theory: a Schumpeterian
legacy and agenda
BART VERSPAGEN 42
Comments to Chapters 1 and 2 64
JAN FAGERBERG
Part 2: The microdynamics of the innovation process 71
3 Schumpeter’s prophecy and individual incentives as a
driver of innovation
WESLEY M. COHEN AND HENRY SAUERMANN 73
4 Creative destruction in the PC industry
TIMOTHY BRESNAHAN 105
Comments to Chapters 3 and 4
ASHISH ARORA 141
v
vi Contents
Part 3: Innovation and industrial dynamics 151
5 Statistical regularities in the evolution of industries: a guide
through some evidence and challenges for the theory
GIOVANNI DOSI 153
6 Spin-off entry in high-tech industries: motives and
consequences
STEVEN KLEPPER AND PETER THOMPSON 187
Comments to Chapters 5 and 6
LUIGI ORSENIGO 219
Part 4: Innovation and institutions 225
7 Schumpeterian innovation in institutions
MASAHIKO AOKI 227
8 Innovation and Europe’s academic institutions – second
thoughts about embracing the Bayh–Dole regime
PAUL A. DAVID 251
Comments to Chapters 7 and 8
BENGT-A˚KE LUNDVALL 279
Part 5: Innovation, firms’ organization, and business
strategies 291
9 Bringing selection back into our evolutionary theories
of innovation
DANIEL A. LEVINTHAL 293
10 From leadership to management: mobilizing knowledge
for innovation in strategic alliances
YVES L. DOZ, ANDREA CUOMO, AND JULIE WRAZEL 308
Comments to Chapters 9 and 10
SIDNEY G. WINTER 322
Part 6: Innovation and entrepreneurship 331
11 Schumpeterian legacies for entrepreneurship and networks:
the social dimensions of entrepreneurial action
PIERA MORLACCHI 333
Contents vii
12 Knowledge-based entrepreneurship: the organizational
side of technology commercialization
ULRICH WITT AND CHRISTIAN ZELLNER 352
Comments to Chapters 11 and 12
MAUREEN MCKELVEY 372
Part 7: Innovation and evolution of the university system 379
13 Academic entrepreneurs and technology transfer: who
participates and why?
JANET BERCOVITZ AND MARYANN FELDMAN 381
14 Modelling and measuring scientific production: a first
estimation for a panel of OECD countries
GUSTAVO CRESPI AND ALDO GEUNA 399
Comments to Chapters 13 and 14
W. EDWARD STEINMUELLER 430
Part 8: Innovations and public policy 439
15 Innovation systems, innovation policy and restless capitalism
STAN METCALFE 441
16 Intellectual property rights and competition policy
PAUL A. GEROSKI 455
17 The policy-shaper’s anxiety at the innovation kick: how
far do innovation theories really help in the world of policy?
PARASKEVAS CARACOSTAS 464
Index 490
List of figures
3.1 Importance of job characteristics for S&E
doctorate recipients 82
3.2 Rankings of importance of job characteristics;
engineering and science professionals versus
workers (n ¼ 477) 83
4.1 Leading products and firms in widely used PC
markets 108
4.2 Positive feedback 115
4.3 Triggers of creative destruction 117
5.1 Empirical densities of log (VA) in different years. 156
i
5.2 Cumulative distribution of US firms by receipts. 157
5.3 Densities of log (S), log (L), and log (Va) in
i i i
different Italian manufacturing sectors 158
5.4 Growth-rate distributions in different years. Size
measured in terms of Value added. Italian aggregate
manufacturing 159
5.5 Probability densities and maximum likelihood
estimation of firm growth rates g in three different
Italian sectors 165
5.6 Distribution of (normalised) gross margins by sectors 168
5.7 Distribution of gross margins growth rates
by sectors, Italian data. Each figure displays the
maximum likelihood estimates of Subbotin
distributions 171
5.8 Distribution of labour productivity by sectors. 175
5.9 Gross margins and (normalized) labour
productivity, 1989–1997 178
5.10 Labour productivity and growth rates (measured
in terms of sales), 1989–1997 179
5.11 Growth rates and profit margins in different
manufacturing sectors 180
viii