Alternative Approaches to Innovation in a Dynamic World

Over the last decades, innovation has gained increasing importance, both in academia and in public discourse, due to its relevance in promoting catch-up, economic growth, and productivity, among other factors. However, the approaches to how innovation is promoted and diffused vary significantly, not only across different schools of thought that address this issue but also in terms of geography and culture. Since the emergence of the endogenous growth theory (Romer, 1986), the importance of capital accumulation has shifted to knowledge accumulation to promote a catching up process, however, the public policy orientation has been divergent in terms of who to promote the knowledge creation.

After the adoption of the Washington Consensus, the Global South has intended to promote innovation through the incorporation to the global economy, such as free trade and capital mobility (Lall, 1994). Nevertheless, the productivity gap with the global north has not narrowed; on the contrary, technological disparities with high-income countries have increased. Departing from a different perspective, some authors have point out that, innovation cannot be considered as a process independent from the demand-side (Dosi, 1997), from regional and geographical particularities (Nelson, 2004), or from institutional framework (Cimoli, 1988). In essence, this discussion is far from being closed, which leaves some room for more alternatives for a much broader agenda, rethinking the meaning and role of innovation in economic activity and the economic policies promoting it, as well as its linkages with the sectoral structure of the economy. This calls as well for a debate on industrial policy and its role in promoting innovation and shaping the economic structure, which has been neglected since the 1980s.

The goal of this workshop is to encourage this debate. Our primary goal is to enable a comprehensive exploration of various perspectives on economic innovation and the economic policies that enable it in order to enhance our understanding of its role in economic development and promoting international collaboration in academic research and knowledge exchange. In this manner, this workshop intends to gather young and senior scholars working on this field, so that young scholars can present their work, receive productive feedback, and get in touch with colleagues working on similar topics.

This event is scheduled to take place on March 7th and 8th 2024 at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and aims to facilitate inclusive discussions among a diverse group of participants, including doctoral students from Spain and the broader region, as well as participants from the global south. Furthermore, each day will start with a special session with keynote speakers, followed by the student sessions where the participant will have the chance to present their research and receive contributions.

The keynot speakers:

• Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics and Head of Research at IIPP, University College London (UCL).
• Alberto Russo, Full Professor of Economics, Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM)
• Isabel Álvarez, Full Professor of Economics, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and Director of the Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales (ICEI-UCM)

The selected participants will receive accommodation and a partial travel stipend. Applications including short motivation letters and abstracts (max 200 words) are expected by January 31st, 2024. We invite to young scholars to send proposal on the following topics:

• Innovation
• Industrial Policy
• Structural Change
• Investment and Financial Constraints
• Monetary and Fiscal Policy

The accepted participants will be announced by February 7th.

Application form:
https://forms.gle/cSxLvjuhURKGTZbR9