Regional Innovation Systems: How to Assess Performance

Jon Mikel Zabala-Iturriagagoitia (1) , Peter Voigt (1) , Antonio Gutiérrez-Gracia (1) , Fernando Jiménez-Sáez (1)

1 INGENIO - Instituto de Gestión de la Innovación y del Conocimiento = Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Management

This paper applies Data Envelopment Analysis [DEA] methodology to the evaluation of regional innovation system performance based on information provided by the European Innovation Scoreboard [EIS] for 2002 and 2003. We find that those European regions ranked in the EIS as showing better performance in high-technology areas, are ranked somewhat differently according to DEA. The results of our study show that the higher the technological level of a region, the greater is the need for system coordination. Where this is lacking there is a loss of performance efficiency compared to other similar regions. Policy making in relation to Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) has in the past depended on systemic analysis. Here, we propose a methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to enrich the knowledge base for future policy decision making.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Jon Mikel Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, Peter Voigt, Antonio Gutiérrez-Gracia, Fernando Jiménez-Sáez. Regional Innovation Systems: How to Assess Performance. Regional Studies, 2007, 41 (05), pp.661-672. ⟨10.1080/00343400601120270⟩. ⟨hal-00514643⟩