The Economics and Econometrics of Innovation

Book excerpt: During the past few decades, the interest of economists in the sources of long-term economic growth has led an increasing number of them to focus on the role of innovation in creating that growth. Although some researchers have always been interested in this topic, the groundbreaking work of Solow (1957), Nelson (1959) and Arrow (1962) made many other economists recognize the central role played by innovation in almost all spheres of economic activity. The Economics and Econometrics of Innovation presents a valuable overview of the work of the world's most renowned experts in the field of innovation and technical change. It collects 22 outstanding contributions that reflect the results of the vast, worldwide research efforts and remind us of the importance of economic incentives in shaping and directing innovative activities. The volume presents an edited selection of papers that were first presented at the 10th International ADRES conference. One particular goal of this book is to bring out the complementary nature of the various approaches to innovation, and to facilitate in-depth dialogues both between microeconomists and macroeconomists, and between theoreticians and econometricians. General topics that are considered range from the economy-wide effects of innovation on growth and employment to the variation of individual firm innovative performance; from the analysis of networks and standardization to the role of intellectual property rights and the assessment of knowledge spillovers. Besides the wealth of information presented in the chapters, readers of this volume will also appreciate the value of examining a single question from different angles and by using different methods.