© 2013 – Routledge
284 pages | 27 B/W Illus.
As firms increasingly rely on knowledge as a key factor for innovation, the ability to innovate is increasingly perceived as a key asset for being competitive in international markets. This new volume argues that innovation, knowledge and internationalisation should be viewed as tightly related concepts. It provides a stimulating and comprehensive framework for understanding key tendencies in modern economics, as well as an overview of the state of the art in the three fields covered.
The first section explores in detail the relationship between knowledge and the innovative capability of firms, focussing on key topics such as social capital, intentional knowledge diffusion and unintentional knowledge spillovers. Section two examines the drivers and the impact of innovation strategies, assessing the role of technological advantage, networking and R & D investments in innovation, as well as the impact on innovation on the labour market. The third and final section examines the ongoing internationalisation process faced by ‘global’ economies. The topics explored in each section are tightly linked, ensuring that a strong thematic thread runs through the collection.
Introduction P. Morone PART I: KNOWLEDGE 1. Knowledge and Innovation in social networks: an assessment of industrial clusters’ literature E. Giuliani and X. F. Molina Morales 2. Friends and Rivals: modelling the social relations of inventors L. Cassi and L. Zirulia 3. Knowledge and innovative entrepreneurship - social capital and individual capacities U. Cantner and M. Stuetzer 4. Agglomeration economies, forward linkages and regional specialisation in business services in the EU27 V. Meliciani and M. Savona PART II: INNOVATION 5. Technological Competences and Regional Innovation Networks: Measurement and Visualization with Patent Data A. Pyka, B. Ebersberger and D. Hartmann 6. Implementation Cycles and the New Economy in Retrospect P. Scaramozzino, J. Temple and N. Vulkan 7. The impact of technological change on employment and skills: theory and empirical evidence M. Vivarelli and M. Piva 8. Design and Evaluation of Fiscal Incentives for Business Innovation in Latin America: Lessons Learned and Future Developments G. A. Crespi PART III: INTERNATIONALIZATION 9. Trade policy and Internationalisation D. Salvatore 10. Models of speculative attacks and crashes in international capital markets G. Marini and G. Piersanti 11. Firms Internationalization, innovation strategies and product quality P. Morone and F. Renna 12. Do Foreign Ownership and Technological Environment Affect Firm Survival? Evidence on Italian Manufacturing and Services Firms F. Reganati, A. Ferragina and R. Pittiglio