Search

The 2008 crisis has highlighted the need for a more active industrial policy, and the lockdown and the collapse of supply chains due to the 2020 pandemic only reinforced this process. In this chapter, we show that the effectiveness of practical industrial policy solutions requires taking into account their geographical and sectoral aspects. Of particular importance are activities in the area of R&D support policy, which not only contribute to increased competitiveness of industry, but also determine the possibility of its transformation toward climate neutrality, especially in the renewable energy sector. We are well aware of the potential threats associated with the spending of public funds as they may interfere with the free market, but with an appropriate industrial policy these actions are likely to have more beneficial than potential negative effects. Taking into account the areas where firms source their inputs and the areas where they sell their products and services (they may do both locally and globally), we propose categorizing firms into four groups or cells. For each category, we propose a catalog of industrial policy tools. In our opinion, only actions that reflect the specificity of firms stand a chance of delivering the planned results. We suggest a generic way, from an institutional economic point of view, to analyse government policy in general and industrial policy in particular.

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes interest in the ethics of economists and to advance a moral conception of the economic science. It focuses on the ethical behavior of economists and thus mainly concerned with deontology and professional economics ethics. The book discusses the education and training of the ‘ethical economist’: what it means to train and educate an ethical economist and what is needed for economics to become an ethical profession. It examines the ethics of econometric research and the categorical mistake made by some economists when considering that ethics is to be left for business, government and policymakers and not for the econometrician. The book presents the philosophical arguments for the removal of normativity and normative analysis from economics and what the implications of this issue are on the personal responsibility of economists.

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is concerned with topics in the history of economic thought and economic philosophy. It discusses John Davis’s work in history of economic thought and economic philosophy and describes his work in social economics and related topics. The book examines aspects of Davis’s approach to “seeking justice: the promotion of care and capabilities”. It explores the impact that computer simulation has had on economic methodology. Davis’s roots in political economy and social economics suggest that as with other social sciences and science generally, economics is unavoidably value-laden. All in all, Davis has generated an extraordinarily prodigious scholarly output on an extremely wide range of important topics, and this only takes into account his work directly related to the history of economic thought and economic philosophy.

Economists' role in society has always been an uneasy one, and in recent years the ethicality of the profession and its practitioners has been questioned more than ever. This collection of essays is the first to investigate the multifaceted nature of what forms economists' ethical and economic views.Bringing together work from international contributors, The Ethical Formation of Economists explores the ways in which economists are influenced in their training and career, examining how this can explain their individual ethical stances as economists. The book suggests that if we can better understand what is making economists think and act as they do, considering ethicality in the process, we might all be better placed to implement changes. The intent is not to exonerate economists from personal responsibility, but to highlight how considering the circumstances that have helped shape economists' views can help to address issues. It is argued that it is important to understand these influences, as without such insights, the demonization of economists is too easily adapted as a stance by society as well as too easily dismissed by economists. This book will be of great interest to those studying and researching in the fields of economics, ethics, philosophy and sociology. It also seeks to bring an ethical debate within and about economics and to cause change in the practical reasoning of economists.

Social networks are an important driver for successful innovation, both at the individual level as well as the organizational level. Recent research has also shaped that networks within teams can enhance performance. Innovative project teams are embedded in an organizational context, however, and teams typically consist of people with expertise from diverse backgrounds, and from different units. Team members may have ties to other teams, business units, and hierarchical levels. Although it seems clear that such ties can influence team performance, remarkably little research has focused on what is here referred to as vertical and horizontal cross-ties. Previous research may have ignored the possibility that vertical and horizontal bridging ties may have different performance outcomes. Although the literature suggests that diversity of input, or horizontal cross-unit ties will benefit team performance and innovativeness, there is reason to believe that ties to higher levels in the organization might have an effect on project team performance and innovativeness too. This article in particular studies the role of vertical cross-hierarchy ties. In an exploratory analysis combining quantitative and qualitative results, it is distinguished between horizontal cross-unit and vertical cross-hierarchy ties and their contribution to new business development (NBD) project performance, thereby making a substantial contribution to both academic literature and managerial practice. Our study is based on a multiple case-study approach of several NBD project teams in a large European financial service provider. Our results show that successful innovation project teams are characterized by a large number of cross-unit ties in combination with a large number of cross-hierarchical ties compared with less successful project teams. Additionally, proof is found that vertical cross-hierarchy ties should be concentrated rather than scattered across project members.

The distance between actors in an organization affects how they interact with each other, and particularly whether they will exchange (innovative) knowledge with each other. Actors in each other's proximity have fewer conflicts, more trust towards each other, for example, and are thus more involved in knowledge transfer. Actors close to others thus are believed to perform better: by being more innovative, for instance. This theory of propinquity's claim resonates widely in the literature and has intuitive appeal: 'people are most likely to be attracted towards those in closest contact with them' (Newcomb, Th. (1956). American Psychologist, 11, p. 575). Knowledge that a focal actor receives from alters who are close is more readily accessed, better understood and more readily useable. At the same time, however, and in contrast to the what the theory of propinquity suggests, knowledge that a focal actor receives from alters who are at a greater distance may be more diverse, offer unexpected and valuable insights, and therefore give rise to innovation. In order to understand these opposing expectations, scholars have indicated that distance must be conceived of as multifaceted: individuals can be close to each other in one way, while at the same time distant in another. No prior paper has extensively studied the effects of distance as a multifaceted concept, however. This study offers two distinct contributions. It argues, first, why some instances of distance affect the opportunity to interact with alters, potentially lowering an actor's performance, while other instances of distance affect the expected benefits from interaction. The latter would increase an actor's performance. Secondly, this paper is the first study to test empirically the expectations about how seven different measures of distance affect an actor's innovative performance. Innovative performance is measured as both creative contribution and contribution to knowledge that has immediate commercial use (patents). In the setting of a large research lab, it is found, contrary to expectations, that distance does not hurt individual innovative performance and sometimes helps it in unexpected ways.

In this article we first provide a brief introduction into social network analysis, focusing on the measures and approaches that are used in the empirical contributions in this special issue. Second, we discuss the role of social networks in new product development. Social networks are inherently multilevel; we consider four "levels": networks inside a firm, networks that cross firm boundaries, networks between firms, and networks that reside outside of the firm. Third, we discuss these four levels and highlight some of the extant research. We summarize and position the eight papers in this special issue along these four levels. Together, we argue, these papers provide an interesting coverage of this burgeoning field.

Organizations are complex social systems that are not easy to understand, yet they must be managed if a company is to succeed. This book explains networks and how managers and organizations can navigate them to produce successful strategic innovation outcomes. Although managers are increasingly aware of the importance of social relations for the inner-workings of the organization, they often lack insights and tools to analyze, influence or even create these networks. This book draws on insights from social network theory; insights sharpened by research in a number of different empirical settings including production, engineering, financial services, consulting, food processing, and R&D/hi-tech organizations and alternates between offering critical real business examples and more rigorous analysis. This concise book is vital reading for students of business and management as well as managers and executives.

Social economics is a dynamic and growing field that emphasizes the key roles social values play in the economy and economic life. This second edition of the Elgar Companion to Social Economics revises all chapters from the first edition, and adds important new chapters to reflect the expansion and development of social economics. The expert contributions explain a wide range of recent developments across different subject areas and topics in the field, mapping out possible directions of future social economic research. Social economics treats the economy and economics as embedded in a web of social and ethical relationships. It considers economics and ethics as essentially connected, and adds values such as justice, fairness, dignity, well-being, freedom, and equality to the standard emphasis on efficiency. This book will be a leading resource and guide to social economics for many years to come.

Social economics is a dynamic and growing field that emphasizes the key roles social values play in the economy and economic life. This second edition of the Elgar Companion to Social Economics revises all chapters from the first edition, and adds important new chapters to reflect the expansion and development of social economics. The expert contributions explain a wide range of recent developments across different subject areas and topics in the field, mapping out possible directions of future social economic research. Social economics treats the economy and economics as embedded in a web of social and ethical relationships. It considers economics and ethics as essentially connected, and adds values such as justice, fairness, dignity, well-being, freedom, and equality to the standard emphasis on efficiency. This book will be a leading resource and guide to social economics for many years to come.

Contains fulltext : 119313.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) We show that contacts in formal, informal and especially multiplex networks explain transfer of innovative knowledge in an organization. The contribution of informal contacts has been much acknowledged, while that of formal contacts did not receive much attention in the literature in recent decades. No study thus far has included both these different kinds of contacts in a firm, let alone considered their combined effect. The exact overlap between formal as well as informal contacts between individuals, forming multiplex or what we call rich ties because of their contribution, especially drives the transfer of new, innovative knowledge in a firm. Studying two cases in very different settings suggests these rich ties have a particularly strong effect on knowledge transfer in an organization, even when controlling for the strength of ties. Some of the effects on knowledge transfer in an organization previously ascribed to either the formal network or the informal network may actually be due to their combined effect in a rich tie. 08 november 2013 16 p.

Kenneth Boulding was a prolific writer across so many different fields that not only is he often much referred to and cited, he is considered a core member of many of these fields. Boulding is the quintessential interdisciplinary scholar. He died in 1993, but he has left a legacy in economics, conflict studies, systems theory, ecology, biology, communication studies, and ethics. As an economist proper he has tested and expanded the boundaries of that field without unduly “invading” and undermining the expertise and established knowledge of the other social sciences. This proposed volume will allow scholars who have worked or are starting to work in areas that Boulding has initiated, established and made a continued contribution to, to understand the links between these fields and other related ones. The volume will establish a source of inspiration for some time to come.

Kenneth Boulding was a prolific writer across so many different fields that not only is he often much referred to and cited, he is considered a core member of many of these fields. Boulding is the quintessential interdisciplinary scholar. He died in 1993, but he has left a legacy in economics, conflict studies, systems theory, ecology, biology, communication studies, and ethics. As an economist proper he has tested and expanded the boundaries of that field without unduly “invading” and undermining the expertise and established knowledge of the other social sciences. This proposed volume will allow scholars who have worked or are starting to work in areas that Boulding has initiated, established and made a continued contribution to, to understand the links between these fields and other related ones. The volume will establish a source of inspiration for some time to come.

The first volume to explore mergers and acquisitions in the 21st century. The authors systematically introduce, characterize and evaluate these mergers, and discuss the methodologies that can be employed to measure them. They also consider a number of factors relevant to the performance of mergers and acquisitions.

'The emerging knowledge economy is prompting decisive changes in the organization of business firms. Corporate hierarchies flatten under the impact of ICT and the need to delegate decision rights. The boundaries of the firm shrink under the impact of outsourcing and viable relational contracting. However, we still know very little about the mechanics and manifestations of this process. Killian McCarthy, Maya Fiolet, and Wilfred Dolfsma's The Nature of the New Firm breaks new ground in our understanding of changing economic organization. It will appeal not only to theorists of the firm, but also to management scholars and sociologists interested in organization.' - Nicolai J. Foss, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

The global economy is changing rapidly and multinational corporations (MNCs) are at the forefront of this transformation. This book provides novel and profound analyses of how MNCs and emerging economies are related, and how this relationship affects the dynamics of the global economy. In particular, the authors deal with the nexus between multinationals, emerging economies and innovation from a variety of different perspectives. Innovation is regarded as a core driving force in the global economy but the authors show how it can impede as well as encourage sustainability. The book brings together insights from business studies and economics, and combines concise theoretical discussion with empirical analyses of unique data.

This book makes a strong and coherent contribution to the discussion of the knowledge economy and of innovation, offering a range of theoretical insights from different disciplinary perspectives. The role of knowledge, knowledge development, and knowledge diffusion is discussed at the micro level of individuals and firms, but also at the level of groups of firms and sectors, as well as at the level of the economy at large. Dolfsma analyses knowledge development and diffusion as a thoroughly social process, depending on communicative structures to support cooperation. The author combines insights from economics and management with perspectives from sociology (network theory), anthropology (gift exchange), social psychology, science studies and information theory (scientometrics), using empirical analyses to demonstrate where knowledge impacts the dynamics of an economy.

Exchanging knowledge between individuals working in a firm, between but even within divisions, does not occur automatically (Szulanski 1996). It is not obvious that people exchange ideas, point each other to information that the other might use, or give feedback, even when they have no evil motives for not cooperating in such a manner. As a firm's competitive advantage is closely related to its innovative capacity, however, largely based on how it uses knowledge that is already available, the question then is: How does knowledge flow within a firm? What can be done to stimulate or re-direct knowledge flow within a firm? In recent years, increasing attention is given, by scholars in social sciences in general and in management in particular, to the networks of relations between individuals within firms involved in knowledge transfer and development. Consultancies too are scrambling to set up units that can analyze these networks for firms. In addition to the structural issue of who relates how to whom, I will argue that there is a need to look at why relations are established and maintained. This article thus discusses insights from both the literature on social networks and the anthropological literature on gift and favor exchange. As such, the how and the why of knowledge transfer.

'... The topical way in which the subject is discussed makes this book useful also for policymakers or entrepreneurs interested in the subject. It is also appropriate for Masters or Ph.D. students who have a basic background in economics and management...[the book] provides interesting and deep analysis of the dynamic of knowledge economy and it is very well written.'- Francesca Masciarelli, Journal of Management and Governance The 'knowledge economy' is a concept commonly deemed too ambiguous and elusive to hold any significance in current economic debate. This valuable book seeks to refute that myth. Presenting an important collection of views, from a number of leading scholars, this innovative volume visibly demonstrates that knowledge and information are a prime resource in driving the dynamics of an economy.

This paper explores a key artefact of any culture around the world: music, and discusses the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the music industry. According to Vogel (1998, p. 132) "[R]ecorded music readily pervades virtually every culture and every level of society. As such, it may be considered as the most fundamental of the entertainment businesses." Besides cultural effects, this industry has important economic effects. In this particular era technological developments and a liberal, free market ideology work together in creating a global economic sphere. In this paper we will concentrate on the effects of developments in information and communication technology on the global and increasingly virtual music industry. Studies in technology dynamics indicate that social actors can and often do steer technological developments, or mediate its effects (Rip and Kemp 1998). As virtual value chains (Rayport and Sviokla 1994, 1995) pose significant challenges as well as opportunities for many countries and players who traditionally have not taken central positions in certain industries by lowering entry barriers, this industry is an excellent example of a global industry where electronic channels will have a dramatic impact. More particularly, we analyse the changing role of intermediary organisations in the music industry.

'Wilfred Dolfsma has provided us with an important and pioneering investigation of the social construction of pop music as a symbolic good, drawing on institutional and social economic thinking regarding how socio-cultural values underlie the value/price system for music goods. A necessary resource for all those seeking to understand symbolic goods and the identities they help create.' - John B. Davis, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Marquette University, US. The formation of preferences is an elusive subject that many social scientists, and especially economists, have tended to avoid. In this original new book, Wilfred Dolfsma combines institutional economics with insights from the other social sciences to analyse the way in which preferences are formed in a social context.

'The editors have managed amazingly well to bring coherence in a wide range of topics and approaches connecting globalization and social capital.'- Irene van Staveren, Journal of Economic Issues. This volume investigates the relationship between globalization, inequality and social capital, and reveals that although strongly related, these ideas are also highly contested. The authors elucidate the interactions between these concepts, looking in detail at the conflicts and competitiveness which can arise at both the national and organizational level.