Globalizing Learning Economy

This volume analyzes some of the major current trends and policy challenges in the "new economy" from the point of view of technical innovation and competence building. It brings together the leading European expertise on different topics in this field Together the authors give a picture of the most dramatic new challenges in a world where competition is becoming increasingly knowledge-based and global. Why has the US economy been able to realize a so-called new economy based on the effective exploitation of information technology while Europe still suffers from chronic high rates of unemployment? How is it that contemporary economic systems have become more knowledge-intensive but social inequality, both within and across countries, is increasing?;The contributors to this volume share the belief that knowledge is a fundamental component of economic growth and welfare. However, the ways in which knowledge is transmitted and distributed among economic agents requires shaping by public policies. The individual chapters report on the most significant policies adopted and assess them in the light of the European experience in comparison with the United States and Japan.

The interest of the topic and the non-technical character of the contributions make this book suitable for a very large audience. This includes not only scholars and policy makers specialised in the field but whoever is interested in better understanding the impact of the new technological revolution on various aspects of the society and the policy challenges opened up by this revolution as economies become more and more globalised., A very rich and coherent book highlighting, from an original perspective, the opportunities and the issues raised by the process of globalization in the context of the learning economy ... Contains many stimulating contributions by authors who have an outstanding competence in their fields.

Daniele Archibugi is a Technological Director at the Italian National Research Council. He has written extensively on the globalization of technology, the measurement of innovation, and the impact of innovation on economic performance. He has worked and taught at the universities of Roskilde, Sussex, Naples, Cambridge, Madrid, and Rome. He is an adviser to the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and several UN specializedagencies.Bengt-Åke Lundvall is Professor of Economics at the Department for Business Studies at Aalborg University, Denmark. He has introduced the concepts of national innovation systems and of learning economy in economics. In 1992-5 he was Deputy Director at the Directorate for Science, Technology, and Industry of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and from February to July 1995 he was Visiting Professor at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg. Currently, he isResearch Manager for the nationwide Danish network DRUID (Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics) and Project Director for DISKO - a project on the Danish innovation system in a comparative perspective.