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Situating innovation policy in Mediterranean Arab countries: A research agenda for context sensitivity

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  • Haddad, Christian
  • Benner, Maximilian

Abstract

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.

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  • Haddad, Christian & Benner, Maximilian, 2021. "Situating innovation policy in Mediterranean Arab countries: A research agenda for context sensitivity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(7).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:50:y:2021:i:7:s0048733321000767
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2021.104273
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    2. Pfotenhauer, Sebastian M. & Wentland, Alexander & Ruge, Luise, 2023. "Understanding regional innovation cultures: Narratives, directionality, and conservative innovation in Bavaria," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(3).
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    4. Maximilian Benner, 2022. "An institutionalist perspective on smart specialization: Towards a political economy of regional innovation policy [Place-based Policy and Politics]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(6), pages 878-889.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation policy; Mediterranean Arab countries; Institutional context; Sociotechnical imaginaries of innovation; Policy transfer; Socio-technical understanding of innovation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • L38 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Policy
    • O25 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Industrial Policy
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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