Holistic Innovation Policy Theoretical Foundations, Policy Problems, and Instrument Choices

Holistic Innovation Policy puts forward a novel framework for the design and analysis of innovation policy. It provides a theoretically anchored foundation for the design of holistic innovation policy by identifying the core problems that tend to afflict innovations and the activities of innovation systems, including the unintended consequences of policy itself. As most of the current innovation policies focus on few determinants of innovation processes, this is a necessary stepping stone for the identification of viable, relevant, and down-to-earth policy solutions.

Rather than presenting a recipe or 'how-to' guide, this book offers a critical analysis of policy instruments and their choice in innovation policy design, and considers the ways in which policy might be providing solutions to problems in systems of innovation. Exploring areas such as knowledge production and R&D, education, training and skills development, demand-side activities, interaction and innovation networks, changing institutions and regulations, and the public financing of early stage innovations, its critical and novel perspective serves policy-makers, scholars, and those interested in the design of innovation policy.

Susana Borras, Professor of Innovation and Governance, Copenhagen Business School,Charles Edquist, Chair in Innovation Research, Lund University

Susana Borras is Professor of Innovation and Governance at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. She has an extensive academic publication record on issues regarding policy instruments, policy learning, legitimacy, governance, and cross-national comparative analysis, especially of science, technology, and innovation policy. She regularly advises governments and international organizations, and is currently serving as a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV), as well as the editorial board of five international peer reviewed academic journals.


Charles Edquist holds a Chair in Innovation Research and is one of the founders and the first Director (2004 - 2011) of CIRCLE at Lund University. He has published numerous books and articles on innovation processes, innovation systems, and innovation policy, and is among the 50 most cited innovation researchers in the world. He is currently working as a researcher and as an advisor to governments, international organizations, and firms on issues related to innovation policy and strategy. Since 2015 he has been a member of the Swedish National Innovation Council, chaired by the Prime Minister of Sweden.

1. Why We Need a Holistic Innovation Policy: Goals, Problems, and Instruments
2. Innovations: A Systems Activities Approach
3. Innovation Policy: A Holistic and Problem-Based Approach
4. Knowledge Production and R&D
5. Education, Training, and Skills Formation
6. Functional Procurement as Demand-Side Innovation Policy
7. Change of Organisations: Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship
8. Interaction and Networking
9. Changing Institutions
10. Public Financing of Early Stage Innovations
11. The Choice of Innovation Policy Instruments
12. Building the Theoretical Foundations for a Holistic Innovation Policy