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Social networks as factors for innovations : doktorska disertacijaVictor Cepoi, 2018, doctoral dissertation
Abstract: In the new local-global interconnection, nation states are losing their influence and
legitimacy, while economic and cultural transformations are reconfiguring spatial formations.
Going in line with the global trends, regions grasp more importance in shaping the political,
economic and social environments. As a result, the regional level has an important role in
creating a proper socio-economic framework for innovation development, which is considered
one the engines of development.
Relying on the theory of Social fields, the research considers three social forces (networks,
institutions, and cognitive frames) as an alternative explanation for innovation processes, by
encompassing the aspects of different social fields on the regional level. Consequently, within
this dissertation we approach regional innovation systems as an analytical unit for exploring
innovation performance of a regional environment. As case studies, we selected seven regions
with different levels of innovation performance.
The analysis of the semi-structured interviews and the Qualitative Comparative Analysis
emphasized the social forces are a special component for explaining innovation processes in
the selected case studies. Nonetheless, the results offer insights for regional mechanisms
within the innovation performance with the focus on an approach toward innovation that is
beyond simple economics.
Keywords: Regional Systems of Innovations, Networks, Social Field, Social Forces, Qualitative Comparative analysis
Published in ReVIS: 17.02.2020; Views: 2976; Downloads: 93
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