European Innovation Policies and Innovation Systems: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article recognizes the stages of the evolution of the European Union’s innovation policy, exposes which frameworks are applied in research on EU innovation policies, and presents a literature review on the subject within the new institutionalism and the innovation systems approach. The methodology encompassed qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, bibliographic, and documentary research. An overview of the literature is presented, particularly examining theories and models on innovation developed from the late1980s and early 1990s when the study of institutional systems and networks became more  common. The literature on innovation can elucidate how it emerges, bringing a greater understanding of this phenomenon and, thus, a greater ability to find legal mechanisms for regulation and designs for its promotion. This study seeks to identify the research trends and examines the explanatory power of the systemic approach. It points out a gap in the literature, proposing an interdisciplinary research agenda that combines legal knowledge and the systemic approach.