National innovation system
Encyclopedia
The National Innovation System (A.k.a. NIS, National System of Innovation) is the flow of technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions which is key to the innovative process on the national level. According to innovation system theory
, innovation
and technology development are results of a complex set of relationships among actors in the system, which includes enterprises, universities and government research institutes.
and was historical account of the rise of Japan as an economic superpower. Lundval's work explored the important social interactions between suppliers and customers and their role in encouraging innovation in Denmark. Apart from a general definition, as above, there is no canonical
definition of national innovation systems. A few dominant definitions are listed below (quoted by the OECD publication National Innovation Systems, 1997) which overlap quite a bit:
A national system of innovation has been defined as follows:
Innovation system
The concept of the innovation system stresses that the flow of technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions is key to an innovative process...
, innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
and technology development are results of a complex set of relationships among actors in the system, which includes enterprises, universities and government research institutes.
Origins of term
The term National System of Innovation originated at the same time in the work of Christopher Freeman and Bengt-Åke Lundval in the late 1980s. Freeman's research drew heavily on political economy of Friedrich ListFriedrich List
Georg Friedrich List was a leading 19th century German economist who developed the "National System" or what some would call today the National System of Innovation...
and was historical account of the rise of Japan as an economic superpower. Lundval's work explored the important social interactions between suppliers and customers and their role in encouraging innovation in Denmark. Apart from a general definition, as above, there is no canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
definition of national innovation systems. A few dominant definitions are listed below (quoted by the OECD publication National Innovation Systems, 1997) which overlap quite a bit:
A national system of innovation has been defined as follows:
- .. the network of institutions in the public and private sectors whose activities and interactions initiate, import, modify and diffuse new technologies.
- .. the elements and relationships which interact in the production, diffusion and use of new, and economically useful, knowledge ... and are either located within or rooted inside the borders of a nation state.
- ... a set of institutions whose interactions determine the innovative performance ... of national firms.
- .. the national institutions, their incentive structures and their competencies, that determine the rate and direction of technological learning (or the volume and composition of change generating activities) in a country.
- .. that set of distinct institutions which jointly and individually contribute to the development and diffusion of new technologies and which provides the framework within which governments form and implement policies to influence the innovation process. As such it is a system of interconnected institutions to create, store and transfer the knowledge, skills and artefacts which define new technologies.
See also
- American SchoolAmerican School (economics)The American School, also known as "National System", represents three different yet related constructs in politics, policy and philosophy. It was the American policy for the 1860s to the 1940s, waxing and waning in actual degrees and details of implementation...
- Friedrich ListFriedrich ListGeorg Friedrich List was a leading 19th century German economist who developed the "National System" or what some would call today the National System of Innovation...
- Knowledge Assessment Methodology by the World Bank InstituteKnowledge Assessment MethodologyThe Knowledge Assessment Methodology is "an interactive benchmarking tool created by the World Bank's Knowledge for Development Program to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face in making the transition to the knowledge-based economy." KAM does so by providing...
Further reading
- EDQUIST, C. (1997), Systems of Innovation: Technologies, Institutions, and Organizations, Pinter, London.
- FREEMAN, C. (1987), Technology and Economic Performance: Lessons from Japan, Pinter, London.
- MIETTINEN, R. (2002), National Innovation System: Scientific Concept or Political Rhetoric, Edita, Helsinki.
- NAWAR, ABDEL-HAMEED (2005), NIS in Egypt: The Need for A Strategic Shift, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, manuscript
- OECD, (1997), National Innovation Systems, OECD Publications, Paris.