The Ghost in the Attic? The Italian National Innovation System in Historical Perspective, 1861–2011
The Italian case can provide us with some interesting insights concerning the relationship between scientific and technological activities and growth performance. The study of the relationship between technical change and comparative economic development represents perhaps one of the most important...
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| Published in: | Enterprise & society 2015-06, Vol.16 (2), p.270-290 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The Italian case can provide us with some interesting insights concerning the relationship between scientific and technological activities and growth performance. The study of the relationship between technical change and comparative economic development represents perhaps one of the most important themes of research in economic history. The Italian pattern of "modern economic growth" is indeed a peculiar one, structurally characterized on the one hand by limited investments in R&D activities and in education and, on the other hand, by a limited capacity of generating innovations and being competitive in high tech industries. This analysis shows the origins of this structural weakness have deep historical roots. To sum up, our historical appraisal suggests that Italian NIS, from the unification until today, was characterized by a peculiar shadowy or "ghostly" nature. In Italian economic history, it has been largely invisible, forcing the country to adopt a peculiar road toward "modern economic growth" based on the combination of low real wages and the intensive use of unskilled labor. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-2227 1467-2235 |