Elias G. Carayannis epub Culture, Innovation, and Growth Dynamics: A New Theory for the Applicability of Ideas (Palgrave Studies in Democracy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for Growth)

This book argues that ideas and values are not easily applicable and transferable to all situations and that the necessary condition for an idea, which is conceived in one context, to be effective elsewhere, is that it must be stripped from its original context and become value-free. Because ideas are products and consequences of distinct historical experiences and cultural evolutions, they retain specificities that cannot be co-opted into other contexts. Therefore, past economic growth models based on one formula have failed as they have not taken into consideration historical, political, and social complexities. Ideas that are value-neutral have measurable results, and as such their very nature of adaptability breeds innovation. Examples of successful transfer of ideas are innovation-related processes, such as scientific knowledge and technical know-how, derived from work-based practice that describes how something should be (e.g. international accounting standards). Supported through a detailed examination of case studies, the framework used in this study is based on the encompassing definition of innovation as a process of dynamic change that has three dimensions: socio-economic, socio-political and socio-technical. These cases emphasize that modernization, economic growth, and development are not single acts of change, but rather, a constant and unending process where maintaining one’s own identity and tradition is the determining factor. his seminal work is essential reading for researchers of innovation and knowledge transfer, economic growth and development study, and political science.