In the most recent post in our ongoing data mining blog series, we explored the effect on innovation of research collaboration across disciplinary and sectoral boundaries. That topic was worth exploring because beliefs that such collaborations are effective levers to promote innovation are foundational to many policy choices, and there is scant evidence available to determine whether these levers work or not (and how powerful they are). The present post will take that line of exploration one step further: we usually promote innovation as a way to drive social and/or economic prosperity, creating “jobs and growth,” often with some qualification about these developments being “inclusive,” “smart,” or “sustainable,” or helping out “the middle class.” Such approaches have been particularly emphasized since the Financial Crisis a decade ago. The purpose of this blog post—and the case study on which it is based—is to explore the relationship between innovation and growth, especially for small and fast-growing firms.
