Innovation Matters

Could the use of the "platform economy" to enable sharing, renting, and digitizing – rather than owning – a wide range of physical assets support progress towards the circular economy and sustainable development? 

Digital platforms can aggregate supply and demand, instill trust, and guarantee transactions. These platforms can open convenient options to access what we need when we need it - from power drills to cars. As the guest in the first episode of the "Innovation Matters" podcast, Professor Michael Munger of Duke University, points out, we may be witnessing the beginning of a development that will fundamentally transform how we consume, produce, and interact. 

Innovation Matters is a UNECE podcast series that explores how innovation, or experimentation with ideas to create value, is changing our world and could drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the region and beyond.

The Platform Economy - Revolutionising How We Produce, Consume and Interact?

Innovation Matters: The Platform Economy - Revolutionizing how we produce, consume and interact?

UNECE podcast Innovation Matters releases its second episode on “Post-Socialist Transition 30 Years on: the Importance of Furthering Broad Innovation to Progress Towards Agenda 2030”. 

30 years later, since the fall of the Soviet Union, UNECE countries have varied success in reaching the increasingly market economy, bringing interesting findings of how economic development for sustainable development, and innovation policy, in particular, is dependent upon the foundation and the ongoing transition process. The guest for this episode is Dr. Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan from St. John’s University in New York. Based on his book “Economic transformation, development and society in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union” (2018), Alec traces the economic development process, assessing these countries based on the socialist path they have had, the nature of institutional and structural change affecting the countries in transition before and after the fall of communism. In this podcast, we further discuss how these countries historically evolved in their economic policies and development, the role of central planning and its impact on innovation, the reform efforts and the role of institutions throughout this process.

Innovation Matters: Post-Communist Transition 30 Years on

Innovation Matters: Post-Socialist Transition 30 Years on

Given that the potential returns of innovation in developing and catch-up economies is large, why there is so little investment into innovation? This “innovation paradox” is at the centre of this episode.  Despite the enormous potential that innovation, especially gradual innovation building on ideas and technologies that have proven their mettle elsewhere, and despite, in many countries, strong political commitment, UNECE transition economies struggle to innovate in ways that drive productivity growth and sustainable development.

Why do good ideas not necessarily translate into innovation, and what can developing countries do about it? We decided to ask this and many other questions to Dr. Xavier Cirera and Professor William Maloney, the economists from the World Bank. In their book called “The Innovation Paradox: Developing-Country Capabilities and the Unrealized Promise of Technological Catch-up”, they examine the nature of innovation in developing countries, the innovation paradox, and what governments can do to resolve the innovation policy dilemma. In this podcast, the authors dissect these elements of why countries do not get the expected rate returns from follower countries to catch up, and what developing countries can do to boost innovation.

Innovation Matters: The Innovation Paradox - Innovation in Transition Economies

Every day, billions of people connect with others, purchase services from businesses – all within a click of a button from their electronic devices. These new, rapidly unfolding processes and forms of content, distributed in a variety of digital formats, offer salient opportunities and scope for innovation. What is the government’s role in supporting the evolution and promotion of the digital economy?   

In this episode of "Innovation Matters", Professor Carin Holroyd and Professor Ken Coates, both from the University of Saskatchewan, explore the nature, implications, potential and risks of government policy on the digital economy. According to their publication "The Global Digital Economy: A Comparative Policy Analysis", governments still tend to underestimate and misunderstand the economic potential of the digital content sector due to old mindsets about the traditional industrial economy. Governments still may not know how to support digital content companies – although this is changing in the light of the successes of Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, and the like. As our guests show, experiences from the frontrunners in East Asia – most notably from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore – provide fascinating opportunities to take a closer look at the public use of digital technologies and to consider government policies and efforts to expand the sector. The episode includes success stories of the rising stars of the digital economy, particularly valuable for countries in transition, and ends with key 3 tips for policymakers in the region in devising the most effective digital economy strategy.

Innovation Matters: The Rise of the Global Digital Economy & Lessons from East Asia

As the economist Paul Krugman once said, “productivity is not everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything”. Productivity is among the most important sources of social and economic welfare, but innovation is also the most important source of productivity growth. The difficulty with the innovation processes is that they are evolutionary; we do not know exactly where they are going, and we cannot predict them.

To understand how innovation works, the Systems of Innovation approach has emerged – a perspective with strong roots in the Schumpeterian and Austrian schools of economics. Putting this approach into practice, however, has been difficult. One of the most recognised experts in this field, Dr. Charles Edquist from Lund University, has worked on a model that could provide guidance: the holistic view of the innovation policy. In this podcast, we ask Charles about how this approach to innovation can enable us to understand innovation better, what are the determinants of innovation processes and how they can strengthen innovation systems, especially as the basis for good policymaking.

Innovation Matters: Holistic Innovation Policy and the Governance of National Innovation Systems

From the industrial revolution to the digital era, innovation has redefined economies and societies, offering new opportunities and challenges. However, balancing the promotion of innovation with the need for responsible oversight remains a key issue for governments, businesses, and communities.

In this episode of Innovation Matters, Arthur Diamond, Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska Omaha, shares his insights on innovative dynamism — where technological advancements drive significant transformation. We explore the historical evolution of innovation, comparing the more open, dynamic environment of the 19th century with the increasing role of state-led regulation that emerged in the 20th century, particularly after World War II. 

The discussion examines how regulation and central planning have influenced innovation, the lessons learned from technological breakthroughs, and how societies can find the right balance between encouraging innovation and ensuring responsible governance.

Innovation Matters: Innovative Dynamism

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