Limits of social capital as a driver of innovation: an empirical analysis in the context of European regions

Jose M Barrutia (1, 2) , Carmen Echebarria (3)

1 Financial Economics II
2 European Studies Centre (St Antony's College)
3 European Studies Centre (St Anthony's College)

Available empirical research referring to different units of analysis supports, in general terms, a linear positive relationship among some components of social capital and innovation. Yet some studies also present controversial results by finding non-significant, negative, diminishing returns and quadratic relationships. Building on the social network theory of innovation, this paper shows that the social capital-innovation relationship has an inverted U-shape. This is consistent with recent research that suggests that some sub-constructs of social capital, such as tie strength, involve maintenance and opportunity costs and that social capital has positive effects but also has its limits.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Domaines: Science politique

Jose M Barrutia, Carmen Echebarria. Limits of social capital as a driver of innovation: an empirical analysis in the context of European regions. Regional Studies, 2011, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/00343404.2011.603720⟩. ⟨hal-00744819⟩