POL2338H1F L0101
Undergraduate Course Code: POL408H1F L0101
Innovation and Governance
Themes
The course focuses on a broad range of topics related to innovation and governance, such as (i) technological change and its social and economic consequences, (ii) the spatial effects which result from this, and (iii) the necessities for economic policies at different territorial levels. Since international competitiveness of industrialized economies cannot be based on cost advantages alone, future growth in the knowledge-based economy will be increasingly associated with capabilities related to creativity, knowledge generation and innovation. As a consequence, questions of performance in innovation and policy support become decisive at the firm level, and at the regional and national scales. The first part of the course deals with conceptual foundations of innovation processes, such as evolutionary and institutional views of innovation. In the second part, national configurations of innovation processes are investigated. The third part deals with innovation at the subnational level, focusing on regional clustering, institution building, multilevel governance, and regionalized innovation systems.
Texts
Course reader.
Format and Requirements
One two-hour seminar per week. The seminar work consists of the following components: a research proposal, seminar presentations, a research paper and class participation.