Rosselli Foundation

Innovation dynamics are more and more considered to represent one of the most important processes in the development of modern economic systems. In 1999, the Economist labelled innovation as the ‘industrial religion of the late twentieth century,’ and ever since, there has been an ever growing interest in innovation. However, studying the dynamics of innovation is a complex task. It is now almost unanimously recognized that innovation should be approached in a systemic perspective, as long as it involves many different actors, structures and interactions. This perspective is at the basis of the development of concepts such as National Systems of Innovation (Nelson 1993) and Regional Systems of Innovation (Braczyk et al. 1998; Cooke et al. 2004).

In the past philosophers used to put infants and children on the opposite side from science in the spectrum of cognitive rationality. Their supposed cognitive immaturity did not allow them to approach the ideal image of rational beings.

The social sciences focus on the effect of man’s actions. Whether these regard immigration, employment, financial markets, technological innovation or political elections, any phenomenon that is the aggregate outcome of individual behaviour involving choice and human action is studied by a particular branch of the social sciences.

Innovation dynamics are more and more considered to represent one of the most important processes in the development of modern economic systems. This perspective is at the root of the development of various innovation concepts. The systematic study of different systems of innovation has raised the awareness that each particular system has its own characteristics, and that it is not always possible to unilaterally define all the parameters that play a role in shaping innovation processes. The article describes the main obstacles facing public policy decision-making drawing on examples from innovation and research policy. It argues that Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) research can teach us a series of useful lessons, especially those features necessitating the consideration of innovation systems as complex adaptive systems.