ABSTRACT

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.

part |94 pages

Part I Knowledge

chapter 1|21 pages

Knowledge and innovation in social networks

An assessment of industrial clusters' literature

chapter 2|21 pages

Friends and rivals

Modelling the social relations of inventors

chapter 3|32 pages

Knowledge and innovative entrepreneurship

Social capital and individual capacities

part |85 pages

Part II Innovation