TY - JOUR
T1 - Situating innovation policy in Mediterranean Arab countries: A research agenda for context sensitivity
AU - Haddad, Christian
AU - Benner, Maximilian Karl Peter
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Innovation policy is embedded in local contexts that shape its courses and outcomes. However, the role of context is often neglected in the design and implementation of innovation policies. Critical questions such as what innovation actually means, what kind of innovation policies may be beneficial in a given country and for specific sectors, regions and actors, and what kinds of policies and programs can help promote innovation in a feasible and effective manner are rarely addressed. Focusing on Mediterranean Arab countries with their political and economic proximity to the EU, this article proposes three conceptual shifts towards a context-sensitive approach to innovation policy design and analysis. Drawing on insights from relational economic geography, interpretive policy analysis, and science and technology studies, the article discusses how these three shifts enable new perspectives on innovation policies in Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt. The article suggests a research agenda that can stimulate discussion and lead to a new approach in innovation studies and policy for Arab countries in the EU's neighborhood.
AB - Innovation policy is embedded in local contexts that shape its courses and outcomes. However, the role of context is often neglected in the design and implementation of innovation policies. Critical questions such as what innovation actually means, what kind of innovation policies may be beneficial in a given country and for specific sectors, regions and actors, and what kinds of policies and programs can help promote innovation in a feasible and effective manner are rarely addressed. Focusing on Mediterranean Arab countries with their political and economic proximity to the EU, this article proposes three conceptual shifts towards a context-sensitive approach to innovation policy design and analysis. Drawing on insights from relational economic geography, interpretive policy analysis, and science and technology studies, the article discusses how these three shifts enable new perspectives on innovation policies in Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt. The article suggests a research agenda that can stimulate discussion and lead to a new approach in innovation studies and policy for Arab countries in the EU's neighborhood.
KW - Innovation policy
KW - Institutional context
KW - KNOWLEDGE
KW - MODEL
KW - Mediterranean Arab countries
KW - POLITICS
KW - Policy transfer
KW - REGIONAL CLUSTER POLICIES
KW - RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT
KW - SCIENCE PARK
KW - SMART SPECIALIZATION
KW - SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS
KW - SYSTEMS
KW - Socio-technical understanding of innovation
KW - Sociotechnical imaginaries of innovation
KW - TECHNOLOGY
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106307576&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.respol.2021.104273
DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2021.104273
M3 - Article
SN - 0048-7333
VL - 50
JO - Research policy
JF - Research policy
IS - 7
M1 - 104273
ER -