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What drives innovation? Evidence from economic history

Taalbi, Josef LU (2017) In Research Policy 46(8). p.1437-1453
Abstract
An unresolved issue in innovation studies is to what extent and how innovation is affected by changes in the economic environment of firms. This study elaborates on a theoretical framework that unites theories of innovation as creative response and the economics of complexity. In the empirical section, results from a new micro-based database on Swedish product innovations, 1970–2007, are introduced. Applying the theoretical framework, both quantitative evidence and collected innovation biographies inform of the historical impulses that have shaped innovation activity in the Swedish economy in two broad surges during the 1970s and 1990s. The study shows that, rather than being the result of continuous efforts, most innovations were... (More)
An unresolved issue in innovation studies is to what extent and how innovation is affected by changes in the economic environment of firms. This study elaborates on a theoretical framework that unites theories of innovation as creative response and the economics of complexity. In the empirical section, results from a new micro-based database on Swedish product innovations, 1970–2007, are introduced. Applying the theoretical framework, both quantitative evidence and collected innovation biographies inform of the historical impulses that have shaped innovation activity in the Swedish economy in two broad surges during the 1970s and 1990s. The study shows that, rather than being the result of continuous efforts, most innovations were developed as a response to discrete events, history-specific problems and new technological opportunities. It is also suggested that patterns of creative response are industry-specific and associated with the radicalness and complexity of innovation processes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Innovation, Creative response, Sweden;, NK-model
in
Research Policy
volume
46
issue
8
pages
1437 - 1453
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85026301454
  • wos:000412035200006
ISSN
0048-7333
DOI
10.1016/j.respol.2017.06.007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c09e984b-5f2a-4674-b632-e88305c5085f
date added to LUP
2017-07-27 08:18:30
date last changed
2022-04-25 01:33:24
@article{c09e984b-5f2a-4674-b632-e88305c5085f,
  abstract     = {{An unresolved issue in innovation studies is to what extent and how innovation is affected by changes in the economic environment of firms. This study elaborates on a theoretical framework that unites theories of innovation as creative response and the economics of complexity. In the empirical section, results from a new micro-based database on Swedish product innovations, 1970–2007, are introduced. Applying the theoretical framework, both quantitative evidence and collected innovation biographies inform of the historical impulses that have shaped innovation activity in the Swedish economy in two broad surges during the 1970s and 1990s. The study shows that, rather than being the result of continuous efforts, most innovations were developed as a response to discrete events, history-specific problems and new technological opportunities. It is also suggested that patterns of creative response are industry-specific and associated with the radicalness and complexity of innovation processes.}},
  author       = {{Taalbi, Josef}},
  issn         = {{0048-7333}},
  keywords     = {{Innovation; Creative response; Sweden;; NK-model}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{1437--1453}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Research Policy}},
  title        = {{What drives innovation? Evidence from economic history}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.06.007}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.respol.2017.06.007}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}