The process of transforming the industrial economy into a society largely based on the production and dissemination of information and knowledge has widespread implications for cities and regions as well as organisations and individuals. And while the economy is increasingly global, the differences in economic development between cities and regions will not necessarily disappear. Indeed, the diver

Which kinds of growth lead to increased employment and which do not? This is one of the questions that this important volume attempts to answer. The book explores the complex relationships between innovation, growth and employment that are vital for both research into, and policy for, the creation of jobs.Politicians claiming that more rapid growth would remedy unemployment do not usually specify

Public Technology Procurement and Innovation studies public technology procurement as an instrument of innovation policy. In the past few years, public technology procurement has been a relatively neglected topic in the theoretical and research literature on the economics of innovation. Similarly, preoccupation with `supply-side' measures has led policy-makers to avoid making very extensive use of

This comprehensive two volume collection is designed to introduce the reader to the systems of innovation literature. This is the first time that one major reference collection brings together some of the best known and most provocative literature from a variety of different perspectives, such as national, sectoral and regional systems of innovation. Classics such as the seminal papers by Schumpet

This contribution aims to deal with innovation policy from the perspective of the systems of innovation approach. The intention is to address basic principles related to national, regional or local as well as sectoral systems of innovation and the policy implications emerging from these. Hence, there will be a very strong emphasis on policy in what follows. However, it is essential, of course, tha

Many innovations arise spontaneously as a result of the market mechanism and the actions of capitalist firms, but some, especially the more radical ones, require public intervention. The first part of this chapter discusses when such policy interventions might be necessary and why. The next section discusses selectivity in innovation policy. The last (main) section of the chapter discusses the gen

The focus of this study is on product innovations done by firms (establishments) and the collaborations they enter into with other firms and organizations in carrying out this activity. The theoretical framework combines innovation theories with the literature on regional innovation systems, industrial districts/clusters and knowledge-based economies. Empirically we have investigated the frequency

This chapter describes and analyses the development of Sweden’s high-speed train (HST), the X2000, as a case of public technology procurement. The case study is based mainly on primary data collected in recent (1997) interviews with some of the main actors involved in the procurement process, but it also draws upon relevant secondary sources. The analysis employs evaluative criteria defined from t

Public technology procurement (PTP) occurs when a public agency places an order for a product or system which does not exist at the time, but which could (probably) be developed within a reasonable period. Additional or new technological development work is required to fulfil the demands of the buyer. This is the ‘ideal type’ of public technology procurement.

Public procurement represents a very large share of most economies worldwide. Besides its direct purchasing power, public procurement has an enormous potential to become one of the most important mission-oriented policy instruments in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. The paper argues that the key to achieve more innovations when pursuing public procurement is to describe problems

For firms in symbolic (creative) industries, the region is usually seen as the main arena for knowledge sourcing and exchange. Why and how these firms use global innovation networks remains however poorly understood. This paper draws on in-depth interviews with firm representatives and network data collected through a survey of video game developers in southern Sweden. Video game development is a

BACKGROUND: Sonographers have reported a high occurrence of musculoskeletal pain for more than 25 years. Assessments of occupational risk factors have previously been based on cross-sectional surveys. The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine which factors at baseline that were associated with neck/shoulder and elbow/hand pain at follow-up.METHODS: A questionnaire was answered by 248 fem

Relational thinking has recently gained increasing prominence across academic disciplines in an attempt to understand complex phenomena in terms of constitutive processes and relations. Interdisciplinary fields of study, such as science and technology studies (STS), the environmental humanities, and the posthumanities, for example, have started to reformulate academic understanding of nature-cultu