Development, innovation, sustainability and policies: Chris Freeman’s legacy

Author(s): Helena Maria Martins Lastres

Working Paper No.: 2017-02

Keywords: Innovation, national systems of innovation, development and innovation policy, social and environmental sustainability, local innovation and production systems, Chris Freeman, Latin American Structuralist Approach, RedeSist, Brazil.

Revisiting Chris Freeman’s main legacies, this paper highlights those considered as fundamental for the comprehension of the present challenges and opportunities posed to development. It attempts to recuperate some of his seminal contributions, focusing on: the importance of a broad and contextualized understanding of development, innovation, and national systems of innovation; changes of techno-economic paradigm and the role of government policies; financialization, sustainability, and crises; usual biases in innovation research and policy agendas; the need to contextualize analytical and policy frameworks; and the threats of alienation of economic theory. Arguing a substantial enlargement and refinement of both research and policy agendas was achieved; the paper stresses the importance of fostering and consolidation of national, regional, and international research cooperation on these issues. The conclusion addresses the possibilities to improve innovation research and policy agendas, accentuating the role of lecturers, researchers, and policy-makers, particularly those participants of the regional and national networks and related research activities on learning, innovation, and competence building systems.

Download GWP2017.02

2018-07

Sustainability transitions and technological catch-up: Guidance of search as a strategic mechanism for leapfrogging

The challenge of preparing for more sustainable futures increasingly finds resonance outside OECD countries. One salient development is that manufacturing bases for clean-tech industries are shifting to emerging economies. So far, the question how latecomers may achieve leapfrogging in sustainable technologies has not yet been clearly spelled out in the two most important literature streams in the field.

2018-06

Demand-driven policy interventions to foster industrial development: Can they be inclusive and sustainable?

This paper explores recent demand-driven policy initiatives implemented to foster industrial development in developing countries. The evidence builds on various case studies organized around an analytical framework that draws from the literature on demand-driven innovation policy, sustainable consumption policies and industrial policy.

2018-05

SDG-6 in India: Challenges and innovation for sustainable sanitation

Inadequate sanitation remains a big challenge in India and has a multidimensional negative impact on children’s health, education for girls, the environment, social dignity and national as well as individual economic growth. Sustainability is one of the key features to win universal access of sanitation that has social, technical, financial and institutional challenges at every step of the way.

2018-04

Greek Public Debt: The Quest for a “Happy-end” to an Unsustainable Story

The paper discusses the origins and recent developments of Greek public debt and shows that even if high primary surpluses of 3.50% of GDP consistently materialize it is unlikely to be sustainable. The anemic growth envisaged for the medium and longer run is not sufficient to increase country’s GDP and, thus, drive either the debt to GDP ratio to less threatening levels or the Gross Financial Needs below 20% of GDP.

2018-03

Do Technological Capabilities foster small young firm growth? The Brazilian Case

Project design capabilities are a major factor in the growth for small young Brazilian firms if combined with an appropriate level of external learning. Studying the role of technological capabilities on small young firm growth, the authors distinguish between three types of technological capabilities, projects, execution and external learning, and look at the complementarities among them.

2018-02

Sustainable Development in the Anthropocene

The notion of sustainable development changes its meaning when placed in the context of a transition from the Holocene geological epoch to the Anthropocene. The authors argue that the Anthropocene implies that a return to the relatively stable Earth System characteristics of the Holocene is extremely unlikely.

2018-01

Combining innovation systems and global value chains for development: Towards a research agenda

This paper contributes to ongoing work which seeks to bring together the national innovation systems and global value chain literature for the study of economic development. We depart from the view that such a new combination will be helpful both in enhancing the understanding of socioeconomic processes in developing countries and in building a more useful knowledge base for action.