Innovation and Social Learning Institutional Adaptation in an Era of Technological Change

The ability of societies to manage the current transition to an innovation-driven learning economy is determined by the capacity of existing institutions to facilitate the changes underway. Individual and social learning dynamics are critical to the innovation process and essential for developing and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. The crucial issue is: how well suited are the institutions of a region, nation or international regime to the task of coping with the dramatic changes currently underway in the global economy?

Meric S. Gertler is Professor of Geography at the University of Toronto.

David A. Wolfe is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.