Economics of Innovation

Course Description:

The course aims at providing an introduction to the main theoretical and empirical issues surrounding the economic analysis of innovation. In particular, the course will discuss how innovation emerges in modern economies and how it interacts with the dynamics and evolution of industries. The course will examine alternative ways of conceptualising innovation; the sources and procedures of innovation; the relationship between market structure and innovation; the trade-offs and dilemmas in terms of strategy and social welfare which characterise innovative environments. This course was conceived as an introductory course to students with a limited background in the innovation studies tradition. It uses simple microeconomic and industrial organisation models as well as empirical and historical evidence on the evolution of industries and case studies. The course will offer online lectures, online discussion boards, assignments, weekly tutorial meetings to discuss readings and assignments, and an oral exam at the end of the course.

Learning Goals:

• To acquire the basic terminology necessary to discuss, in a consistent and rigorous way, innovation issues;
• To understand the role that innovation and technical change play in shaping competitiveness and industrial change;
• To recognise sector-level specificities in the sources of innovation, and their consequences for practice and policy;
• To recognise the systemic nature of the innovative process.

Prerequisites:

A MSc or MA degree (or equivalent) in Social Sciences.

Course completion, ECTS, edubadges and estimated workload:

The course is completed once you fulfill the course requirements and pass the assignments and the oral exam. Your coursebook will also include the explanation of resit options.

Participants will receive 2 ECTS equivalence credits and the certification will be offered through an online educational badge.

The estimated workload is 60 hours, including 10-15 hours per week and 10-15 hours per assignments/oral exam.

Cost: 500 euro

Required Readings:

The cost of the course does not include books or hardcopies of the course material. Course materials can be bought, ordered or downloaded by the participant him/herself.

The books “Oxford Handbook of Innovation” (2009) and “Primer on Decision Making: How Decisions Happen” (1994) are not available for free and need to be acquired separately. Links are provided below.

J. FAGERBERG, D. MOWERY and R. NELSON (eds)., The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford University Press, 2009: Chapter 1 Innovation: A Guide to the Literature, available from: https://books.google.nl/books/about/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Innovation .html?id=uF30DAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&re dir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

J. MARCH (1994), A primer on decision making, Free Press, New York, available from: https://books.google.nl/books/about/A_Primer_on_Decision_Making.html?i d=RyC7AAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y

Starting date, enrollment time and payment:

Upon a successful enrollment, every participant will start the course on an individual basis, immediately after the acquisition of the course materials. Your tutor will reach out to you to agree on a timeline.

You will be enrolled for 10 weeks, including 1 week to access the platform and become familiar with the materials, 4 weeks of coursework, 2 weeks to do the oral exam and 3 weeks for potential resit time.

In case you prefer to use the 10 weeks in a different way, please agree with your tutor during your first exchange.

To pay the tuition fee, please make the transfer to the following account. Upon payment, you will be registered as student, and contacted by your tutor. On average this takes 1-2 weeks.

Download the coursebook