Allan Dahl Andersen

Towards a new approach to natural resources and development: the role of learning, innovation and linkage dynamics

It is a stylised fact in economics that natural resources are harmful for economic development. Still, one can find several examples of natural-resource-based development. This apparent paradox reflects an unsatisfactory conceptualisation of natural resources. This paper suggests a new evolutionary-institutional approach to studying natural resources and their role in economic development with focus on learning and linkage dynamics. The paper reviews the literature with a focus on the underlying perception of natural resources as the key for understanding its shortcomings. Most approaches perceive natural resources as finite and exogenous to the economic system. These assumptions constitute the pillars of the law of diminishing returns which inter alia states that natural resources cannot lead development. Others argue that natural resources are endogenous to the economy and can develop important dynamic linkages. The paper elaborates on the latter and suggests that in order to understand the role of natural resources in economic development, they must be understood as dynamic, and as being subject to processes of natural resource creation, extension and obsolescing that are characterised by learning and capability building.

Low-Carbon Innovation and Development

In this review we use the concept of learning, innovation, and competence-building systems (LICS) as an analytical tool and as a framework for defining low-carbon policies and development strategies. Improved systems of innovation and competence building are essential to low-carbon development. The concept is a dynamic and interactive perspective in which technologies and institutions co-evolve and it indicates that policies need to operate on both the demand and the supply side. The key issues addressed are, firstly, how the notion of LICS can help us understand the challenges of low-carbon development (LCD), and secondly, a discussion of the design of support structures for the building of LICS that contribute to low-carbon development.

A functions approach to innovation system building in the South: the pre-Proálcool evolution of the sugarcane and biofuel sector in Brazil

This paper applies a technological innovation system (TIS) approach to study how and under which circumstances the sugarcane and biofuel innovation system (SUBIS) emerged and grew in Brazil in the period 1900–1973. The paper advances our understanding of innovation system (IS) building in the South in three ways. First, it illustrates how sectoral IS formation can be understood by using the TIS framework. Second, it highlights key mechanisms in the formation of TIS. Third, it illustrates that the TIS approach must further emphasize the demand for new knowledge in order to be adapted to the South. In addition, the paper demonstrates how many decades of IS building was central to the subsequent success of the Brazilian National Alcohol Program.

Low-carbon development and inclusive innovation systems

Low-carbon development (LCD) is a process of structural change of unprecedented magnitude that includes radical changes in technology, institutions, values and policies. It has been proposed that inclusive institutions are crucial for enabling structural change by facilitating different processes of creative destruction. There are reasons to believe that inclusion is also crucial for achieving LCD. We explore why and how social inclusion may support LCD. In so doing, we bridge a gap between research on social inclusion and innovation, on the one hand, and LCD, on the other. We combine the ideas of systems of innovation and inclusive institutions to propose a new conceptualization of inclusive innovation systems, and we propose six mechanisms through which inclusion enables development. We conclude that the world must attempt to establish an inclusive and low-carbon system of innovation at the global level to achieve LCD.

Foresight and the third mission of universities: the case for innovation system foresight

Purpose – This paper aims to argue that innovation system foresight (ISF) can significantly contribute to the third mission of universities by creating an active dialogue between universities, industry and society. Design/methodology/approach – This paper’s approach is conceptual. The authors analyse the third mission and relevant literature on innovation systems and foresight to explain how and why foresight contributes to the third mission. Findings – The authors propose that foresight contributes to the third mission of universities, particularly to the research and development and innovation dimensions through the development of joint understanding of the agendas and future needs of stakeholders. In addition, foresight enables education to be designed to address identified needs. Research limitations/implications – The findings are both conceptual and exploratory in nature. Thus, the argument needs further examination through a broader study on foresight in the university–industry context and/or longi...

Innovation in natural resource-based industries: a pathway to development? Introduction to special issue

ABSTRACT Despite growing academic attention to the relationship between economic development and natural resources in social sciences, the issue has received rather limited attention in the field of Innovation Studies. This is problematic given the centrality of innovation and technological change for growth and development. Against this background, this introductory article aims to make four contributions. First, to assess the extent to which Innovation Studies has analysed the link between natural resources and development. Second, based on recent studies of innovation in natural resource-based industries (NRBIs), we elaborate on and articulate an innovation and industry perspective on the relationship between natural resources and development. In this, we foreground the particularities of innovation in NRBIs. Third, we explore policy implications of the specificities of innovation in NRBIs. It matters greatly for design and choice of policy instruments in support of innovation and development whether and how innovation in NRBIs differ from innovation in other industries. Lastly, we introduce the papers constituting this special issue and propose avenues for further research.