Agents intentionality, capabilities and the performance of Systems of Innovation

We are interested on why and how an economic system evolves and, in particular, on the causes of the differences across systems of innovation (SI). SI’s performance differs substantially because there are specific causes at work, apart from the differences in the underlying technologies, institutions, etc. In particular, we refer to the intentionality of the agents interacting within a system for innovation to find out the relationship between agents’ goals, SI’s performance and its policy implications. The underlying thesis in this paper is that agent intentionality is a necessary condition for a substantive explanation of the dynamism of any socio-economic system. The paper departs from an abstract definition of a system as a set of constitutive elements and the connections among them serving a common purpose. And explores how intentionality shapes the structure, evolution and performance of an SI. In this context an evolutionary efficiency criterion is proposed.systems of innovation; intentionality; evolving capabilities; evolutionary efficiency.

Action Plans and Socio-Economic Evolutionary Change

An important challenge to evolutionary economics consists of how to tackle with the dramatic tension between purposeful human action and the ‘blindness’ of evolutionary processes. On the one hand, economic action, if rational, has to be planned (which implies purposeful ordering of the means used to achieve objectives). On the other hand, an evolutionary process involves both the emergence of novelties (both intended innovations and unintended consequences of actions) and properties that manifest at meso and macro levels. Some recent papers have insisted on these issues. However, few analytical tools are yet available to cope with both, the analysis of intended dynamic action and ‘blind’ evolution. In this paper we propose the so-called ‘action plan approach’, a theoretical framework which could be useful for this task. The development of tools that permit us to analyze how individuals construct their plans, the projective (conjectural) and interactive nature of action, and the learning processes involved in ‘planning and acting’, may help us identifying and understanding new sources of complexity of economic processes. The close relationship of the ‘action plan approach’ with other systemic conceptual approaches is also highlighted.connections, action plans; novelty; intentionality; evolutionary economic process

Eficiencia evolutiva en los sistemas económicos: Una propuesta

The paper proposes an efficiency criterion for evolving economic systems. Drawing on the idea that these systems develop from the interconnected actions of intentional creative agents (which invent and try to carry out action plans), the suggested criterion at a micro level could be state as follows: a system is efficient (from a micro evolutionary perspective) if agents’ intentional and hierarchical (open) goals are actualized through action. Thus, intentionality leads to facts and goals are reached. The evolutionary efficiency criterion proposed in the paper links the intended goals of heterogeneous agents and the performance of the system they are involved.En este trabajo se propone un criterio de eficiencia para los sistemas económicos evolutivos. Basándose en la idea de que estos sistemas se desarrollan a partir de acciones intencionales desplegadas por parte de los agentes creativos (que inventan los planes de acción y tratan de llevarlos a cabo), el criterio sugerido a un micro-nivel podría establecerse como sigue: un sistema es eficiente (desde la perspectiva micro evolutiva) si los objetivos (abiertos) intencionales y jerárquicos de los agentes se materializan a través de la acción. El criterio de eficiencia evolutiva propuesto en el documento vincula los objetivos propuestos por los agentes heterogéneos y el rendimiento del sistema en el que están inmerso

‘Ethical Novelty’: new insights into economic change

Agents’ knowledge combines their perception of what reality is with their conception of what reality should be. “Ethical dynamics” refers to the evolution in the latter conception. This is a key element to explain changes in agents’ objectives of action, which usually do not result simply from interaction or “cognitive dynamics”. “Ethical novelties” are important sources of economic change. They consist of changes in the structure of action objectives which result from ethical dynamics.knowledge; action plan; ethical novelty; cognitive and ethical dynamics; economic change

Conexiones entre empresas y oportunidad de clúster: El caso de las empresas biotecnológicas en la Comunidad de Madrid

Much of the Spanish biotechnology industry activity operates in the Community of Madrid (CM). Regional and local authorities are very interested in constituting a biotechnology cluster in the Community. All the necessary elements can be found in the region: as shown, there exists the opportunity for the emergence of a biotechnology cluster in CM. However, at the present time no biotechnology cluster can be said to exist as such in the region; there is only a cluster opportunity. In order to demonstrate this proposition, we provide an overview of the biotechnology industry, focusing on the fi rms that operate in Madrid and their connections between themselves and the other actors in the system. Any cluster strategy that aims to develop a biotechnology cluster in Madrid should consider the form of these connectionsBuena parte de la industria biotecnológica española opera en la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (CAM). Las autoridades regionales y locales están muy interesadas en constituir un cluster biotecnológico en la comunidad. Todos los elementos necesarios para que pueda surgir dicho cluster están presentes en la región: como se muestra en este trabajo, existe la oportunidad para que emerja un cluster biotecnológico en la CAM. Sin embargo, no se puede afirmar con total seguridad que tal cluster exista por el momento en la región; tan solo hay una oportunidad de cluster. Para demostrar esta proposición, proporcionamos una panorámica de la industria biotecnológica centrándonos en las empresas que operan en Madrid y sus conexiones con otras empresas del sector y con otros actores del sistema de innovación. Cualquier estrategia que busque desarrollar un cluster biotecnológico en Madrid debería tener en cuenta la naturaleza de estas conexione

The allocation of entrepreneurial effort and its implications on economic growth

The problem to allocate effort to innovation activities is defined and modelled for any single entrepreneur according to its propensity to innovate, which combines pure innovation and rent-seeking strategies. The allocation problem is solved both analytically and via simulation. The individual decisions measured in units of innovation are then aggregated to calculate the innovation quantity for a given population based on the distribution of heterogeneous entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurship rate and the implications for economic growth are also quantified. Consequently, policy makers should focus on reducing the entry barriers and the costs of production in order to stimulate the entrepreneurial activity and maximize the innovation quantity. They should also foster the attitude and propensity towards innovatio

Firms' connections and cluster opportunity: The case of biotechnology in the Community of Madrid

Much of the Spanish biotechnology industry activity operates in the Community of Madrid (CM). Regional and local authorities are very interested in constituting a biotechnology cluster in the Community. All the necessary elements can be found in the region: as shown, there exists the opportunity for the emergence of a biotechnology cluster in CM. However, at the present time no biotechnology cluster can be said to exist as such in the region; there is only a cluster opportunity. In order to demonstrate this proposition, we provide an overview of the biotechnology industry, focusing on the fi rms that operate in Madrid and their connections between themselves and the other actors in the system. Any cluster strategy that aims to develop a biotechnology cluster in Madrid should consider the form of these connections.Buena parte de la industria biotecnológica española opera en la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (CAM). Las autoridades regionales y locales están muy interesadas en constituir un cluster biotecnológico en la comunidad. Todos los elementos necesarios para que pueda surgir dicho cluster están presentes en la región: como se muestra en este trabajo, existe la oportunidad para que emerja un cluster biotecnológico en la CAM. Sin embargo, no se puede afi rmar con total seguridad que tal cluster exista por el momento en la región; tan solo hay una oportunidad de cluster. Para demostrar esta proposición, proporcionamos una panorámica de la industria biotecnológica centrándonos en las empresas que operan en Madrid y sus conexiones con otras empresas del sector y con otros actores del sistema de innovación. Cualquier estrategia que busque desarrollar un cluster biotecnológico en Madrid debería tener en cuenta la naturaleza de estas conexiones

Agents intentionality, capabilities and the performance of systems of innovation

We are interested on why and how an economic system evolves and, in particular, on the causes of the differences across systems of innovation (SI). SI’s performance differs substantially because there are specific causes at work, apart from the differences in the underlying technologies, institutions, etc. In particular, we refer to the intentionality of the agents interacting within a system for innovation to find out the relationship between agents’ goals, SI’s performance and its policy implications. The underlying thesis in this paper is that agent intentionality is a necessary condition for a substantive explanation of the dynamism of any socio-economic system. The paper departs from an abstract definition of a system as a set of constitutive elements and the connections among them serving a common purpose. And explores how intentionality shapes the structure, evolution and performance of an SI. In this context an evolutionary efficiency criterion is proposed

Agents intentionality, capabilities and the performance of systems of innovation

The performances of different Systems of Innovation (SI) vary substantially due to the fact that, apart from the differences in the underlying technologies, institutions, etc., there are specific causes at work. In particular, we refer to the intentionality of the agents interacting within a System of Innovation to find out the relationship between agents’ goals, and the SI’s performance. The underlying thesis is that agent intentionality is a necessary condition for a substantive explanation of the dynamism of any socio-economic system. This paper departs from an abstract definition of a system as a set of constitutive elements and the connections among them serving a common purpose. It also explores how agents’ intentionality and capabilities shape the structure, evolution and performance of an SI. In this context an evolutionary efficiency criterion is proposed.Support from INnoTEC (Project N. SEJ2004-02422 – Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain), Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales ‘Francisco de Vitoria’ and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Teoría económica y acción humana: su integración en la obra de Rafael Rubio de Urquía

El presente artículo es una exposición muy sintética de una de las principales aportaciones de la obra de Rafael Rubio de Urquía a la Teoría Económica y la ciencia de la Acción Humana. En particular, en un reciente trabajo (Rubio de Urquía, 2005) al que este artículo hace especial referencia, se presenta por primera vez, y como resultado formal, la relación entre la Teoría Económica y la Teoría de la Acción Humana: el objeto teórico de la Teoría Económica es toda la Acción Humana. Las implicaciones epistemológicas, metodológicas y teóricas de este resultado son de enorme trascendencia para el desarrollo de la ciencia económica