ABSTRACT
Innovation and consultancy activity across Europe take place in diverse economic and political environments. Regional variations are set within different national milieux of innovative change, which strongly influence the contribution of individual economic agencies, not least the knowledge-intensive services (KIS). These national conditions reflect inherited factor endowments, economic and political structures, processes and rates of economic change, business cultures, education and training regimes, and patterns of state involvement and regulation. EU policies also increasingly exert a differential impact. The eight country chapters of this book have explored these influences. Their common concern has been the role of KIS activity in economic development, especially in relation to innovation. This chapter reviews the variety of conditions encompassed by these cases, and their implications for innovation policy at European, national and regional levels.
