von Hippel and Schumpeterian Innovation: Toward a Modern synthesis
Invited Session: Monday 10th June, 15:30-16:30
Theme
Schumpeterian innovation is fundamentally a ‘producer paradigm’, and centred on the institutions that support that (entrepreneurship, profit-driven firms, venture finance, intellectual property, industrial dynamics, innovation systems, innovation policy etc). Over the past 50 years, von Hippel and colleagues have developed a comprehensive alternative paradigm centred on lead-users and open institutions (i.e. mostly in the commons). But while each paradigm makes passing reference to the other (e.g. Schumpeterian’s call it ‘household innovation’, or the ‘demand side’, and user innovation theory observes that firms do benefit from it), there has not yet been a serious attempt at a ‘general synthesis’ of the two frameworks. The purpose of this session is to explore that ambition. We do so over the domains of theory, history (case studies), modelling approaches, and policy.
The session will set out the ambition for a general synthesis (Potts). To advance this, we review the depth of the theoretical insights in open and user innovation, some of which is very recent, as well as the substantial growth in evidence for the range and impact of open and user innovation (von Hippel). The session then proposes three specific evolutionary models (Fatas-Villafranca and Almudi) that technically support the synthesis: (1) stochastic dynamic networks, for the emergence of user-innovator topologies in very early stages of new sectors; (2) population dynamics with extended replicators, to deal with the motivational-communication aspects within sets of open user-innovators in a specific field; (3), ABMs to connect the infant stages of industries at the innovative (user-driven) nano-level, with the subsequent development of Schumpeterian dynamics. Concluding remarks are offered, leading into open discussion, on the nature of the unified research program and the sorts of policy frameworks it supports (Potts, again).
Speakers
Jason Potts, RMIT, Melbourne: “The modern synthesis for innovation economics”, and “A proposed research program and policy agenda”
Eric von Hippel, MIT, Cambridge: “On user innovation”
Francisco Fatas-Villafranca, UNIZAR, Zaragoza: “Modelling User Innovation from an evolutionary perspective”
Isabel Almudi, UNIZAR, Zaragoza: “Modelling User Innovation from an evolutionary perspective”
Organizers
Jason Potts
Distinguished Professor Jason Potts, Co-Director, Blockchain Innovation Hub; RMIT University, CI, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making + Society.
Jason Potts is a Distinguished Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne. He is Director of RMIT's Blockchain Innovation Hub. His research focuses on the economics of innovation and new technologies, economic evolution, institutional economics, complexity economics. He has written seven books and published over 100 articles on broad range of topics, including growth theory, creative industries, the economics of cities, innovation commons, crypto-economics and blockchain. He is an editor of the Journal of Institutional Economics and Elements in Evolutionary Economics series (CUP).
Research: evolutionary economics, Innovation Commons, Institutional economics, digital economies
Francisco Fatas-Villafranca
Prof. of Economics, at the Economic Analysis Department, University of Zaragoza (Spain);Senior Researcher at IEDIS Institute (University of Zaragoza); Senior Researcher of CREDENAT.
He has been Visiting Scholar at Columbia University and Visiting Researcher at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on economic theory and quantitative methods, with special interest in evolutionary economics. He publishes in Journal of Public Economic Theory, Industrial and Corporate Change, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Computational Economics, Metroeconomica, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Journal of Economic Issues, Journal of Bioeconomics, Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory, Economics of Innovation and New Technology. He is co-Editor of Elements in Evolutionary Economics series (Cambridge University Press), and belongs to the Board of the Journal of Evolutionary Economics.
Research: Economics of Innovation, Macroeconomic Dynamics, Evolutionary Economics
Isabel Almudi
Prof. of Economics, at Economics Department of the University of Zaragoza (SPAIN); Senior Researcher at the Biocomputación y Física de Sistemas Complejos Institute; Senior Researcher at CREDENAT.
Isabel Almudi is Professor of Economics at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, where she also belongs to the Instituto de Biocomputación y Física de Sistemas Complejos. She has been Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute, Columbia University and RMIT University. Her research fields are evolutionary economics, innovation studies, environmental economics and dynamic systems. She has published her work in Industrial and Corporate Change, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Metroeconomica, Journal of Economic Issues, Journal of Bioeconomics and Economics of Innovation and New Technology. She is an Editor of the Element Series in Evolutionary Economics published by CUP. She belongs to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Evolutionary Economics.
Research: Economic Theory, Economic Dynamics, Evolutionary Economics
