Outlining the distinguishing characteristics of an evolutionary theory of innovation

Tommy Clausen
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Tommy Clausen: Nordland Research Institute, Bodø

No 20090103, Working Papers on Innovation Studies from Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo

Abstract: This paper discusses notions of theory in relation to evolutionary understandings of innovation. It starts by empirically demonstrating the relevance of evolutionary perspectives – broadly defined – for understanding the “basics of what’s going on” in the economic sphere when it comes to innovation. It continues to argue and show that appreciative evolutionary understandings of innovation are connected to the Darwinian processes of variation, selection and retention in the theoretical “high range”. Multilevel theorizing, where researchers move between different levels and degrees of abstraction is therefore a key feature of an evolutionary theory of innovation. The paper ends by identifying puzzles and research challenges that evolutionary reasoning with respect to innovation need to address.

Keywords: Innovation; evolutionary theory. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2009-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-tid
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