This Handbook is the first attempt to adapt the IS approach to developing countries from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint. The Handbook brings eminent scholars in economics, innovation and development studies together with promising young researchers to review the literature and push theoretical boundaries. They critically review the IS approach and its adequacy for developing countries, discuss the relationship between IS and development, and address the question of how it should be adapted to the realities of developing nations.

Written by the scholar who, together with Chris Freeman, first introduced the concept of the innovation system, this title brings the literature a step forward. Based upon empirical material, it shows how and why competence building and innovation are crucial for economic growth and competitiveness in the 2010s. It also provides a case study of a small, very successful European country combining wealth creation with social cohesion. The author's comparative analysis of innovation systems demonstrates that the "new economy" can thrive and grow not only in the US-type of economy but also in...