This paper looks at the special characteristics of radical inventions. It tries to identify those variables that differentiate radical inventions from non-radical inventions. Since radical inventions are very important for the economy as a whole and for the individual firm performances,...

This paper reflects on the experience of the Research Into Use (RIU) projects in Asia. It reconfirms much of what has been known for many years about the way innovation takes place and finds that many of the shortcomings of RIU in Asia were precisely because lessons from previous research on...

Economic growth thus far has been closely linked to the bulk conversion of energy stored in carbon based fuels (wood, coal, oil, natural gas) into useful work. Burning such fuels gives rise to CO2-emissions. These emissions, together with other greenhouse gasses (GHG's) like methane, are now...

This short paper on a very big subject deals with a worry - a worry that the present economic crisis is likely to contribute to the already-existing temptations of governmental and private actors alike to behave in a time-inconsistent fashion when responding to the challenge of climate change....

The innovation systems approach has proven useful in explaining the reasons behind varying economic performance in developing countries. The systemic understanding of the innovation process, which pays attention to the knowledge flow among interactive actors, serves as a useful 'focusing device'...

In recent decades there has been a sharp increase in Chinas scientific output. Behind its fast growth, little is known about Chinas comparative advantages in different academic disciplines. Meanwhile, despite Chinas rising position now in second place worldwide for research output, its research...

This paper, which was prepared for presentation in the program of the 2013 International Energy Workshop Conference held on 1921 June in Paris, France is an extensively revised, expanded and slightly retitled version of UNUMERIT Working Paper 2013009. The latter paper has been cited in other...

Innovation support measures in the EU are mostly designed to support product innovation in RD intensive sectors. To increase the still considerable contribution to regional employment and competitiveness from SMEs in traditional manufacturing industries a broader innovation policy mix is more...

Access to, and the cost of, mainstream financial services act as a barrier to financial inclusion for many in the developing world. The convergence of banking services with mobile technologies means however that users are able to conduct banking services at any place and at any time through...

Non-R&D innovation is a common economic phenomenon, though R&D has been the central focus of policy making and scholarly research in the field of innovation. An analysis of the third European Community Innovation Survey (CIS-3) results for 15 countries finds that almost half of innovative...