Examining the issues facing smaller regions and countries, John de la Mothe explores how innovation, strategy and interdependence shape their performance, competition, and futures. Innovation and interdependence are central elements of advanced and advancing economies. In our globalized world, the production of knowledge is continually evolving. This is reflected in the design of institutions and in the results on the standards of living that are achieved and sustained. It also implies new forms of competition. Increasingly, smaller countries, regions and cities that do not fit into traditional theories of growth are becoming leaders in technology-intensive products and quick followers in innovative practices. Often heavily committed to large emerging economic markets (such as China and India) and political hegemons (such as Germany, Japan, and the United States), smaller nations, regions and cities are playing an almost unprecedented role in the shape of things to come. By examining the texture of the new economy, paths to constructing advantage, and aspects of the cultures that lead to the new economy, this book provides a valuable and essential guide to scholars, policymakers, strategists and students.

'. . . an interesting and scholarly volume that draws upon a range of disciplines to give an authoritative account of the innovative process. It represents a valuable information source for teachers and students of regional studies, economic policy and business economics.' - Economic Outlook and Business Review

Innovation has been a major engine of American economic and societal progress. It has increased per capita income more than sevenfold since the 19th century, has added three decades to the average lifespan, has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information, and has made the United States the strongest military power in the world. Without its historical leadership in innovation, the United States would be a very different country than it is today. Trends in the Innovation Ecosystem is the summary of two workshops hosted by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine in February and May, 2013. Experts from industry, academia, and finance met to discuss the challenges involved in innovation pathways. Both workshops focused on the interactions between research universities and industry and the concept of innovation as a "culture" as opposed to an operational method. The goal was to gain a better understanding of what key factors contributed to successful innovations in the past, how today's environment might necessitate changes in strategy, and what changes are likely to occur in the future in the context of a global innovation ecosystem. This report discusses the state of innovation in America, obstacles to both innovation and to reaping the benefits of innovation, and ways of overcoming those obstacles.

The technological revolution has reached around the world, with important consequences for business, government, and the labor market. Computer-aided design, telecommunications, and other developments are allowing small players to compete with traditional giants in manufacturing and other fields. In this volume, 16 engineering and industrial experts representing eight countries discuss the growth of technological advances and their impact on specific industries and regions of the world. From various perspectives, these distinguished commentators describe the practical aspects of technology's reach into business and trade.

A unique insight into the interaction between the state, financiers and entrepreneurs in the modern innovation economy.

The jute commodity system as prevalent in the Indian subcontinent is a conglomeration of paradoxes. Jute was once called the golden fibre on account of its contribution to means of livelihood to millions of farmers, traders, manufacturers in the unorganized sector, mill workers in the organized sector as well scores of people employed in the service sector relating to trading, manufacturing and exports of jute and jute goods. Jute industry along with textile manufacturing provided the foundation of modern manufacturing industry in India. Simultaneously, this industry was also the fountain head of the growth of private entrepreneurship and capital in India. Most of the traditional Industrial Houses in India grew out of trading and manufacturing of jute and jute goods, coal and tea. On the other hand most of the farmers involved in cultivation of natural fibres like jute are small and marginal farmers. Without alternative avenues of gainful employment elsewhere, these millions in South Asia would be deprived of a part of their livelihood. The entire commodity chain of natural fibres is characterized by low productivity, low value addition, high volumes and low returns. The advent and discovery of mineral oil helped exploit cheap HDPE and PP polyethylene sacks, which started replacing the natural fibre based packaging materials. As a result, the jute industry got wiped out from Europe, America and the Far East. Today, it is survived in the Indian subcontinent and to a lesser extent in Brazil. The unique feature of the volume is that it focuses on the first hand experience of the policy-makers and other stakeholders in the jute commodity system, who are confronted with a dilemma of reviving a declining economic subsector. At this juncture, when there is need for a Commodity Development Strategy suitable to the ethos of a commodity like the jute fibre, the present, volumes attempts to devise such a strategy thorough analysis of the system based on authentic and up-to-date information. The Book furnishes an erudite analysis and stock-taking of the jute commodity system. This analysis points out to the fact that there is a need for a holistic, systemic approach to the problems being faced by this sector focusing on the economic exploitation of the whole jute plant; holistic research for addressing productivity and processing efficiency in the entire commodity chain of jute; and creating a network of organisations for advocacy for jute and allied fibres, which would focus on repositioning the golden fibre as sustainable and eco-friendly commodity with the help of green and sustainable development advocacy groups. The Commodity Development Strategy highlights the need for greater effort for significant degree of product diversification which would entail significant consumption of the fibre or fabric in volume terms. The volume ends with an optimistic note with ideas of inclusive development under the Millennium Development Goals and Carbon Credits Sustainable Development under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change the welcome paradigm shifts in the approach to the jute sector. The effort by Sh Roul is a timely one on the eve of the observance of 2009 as International Year for Natural Fibres by the United Nations. The book is quite comprehensive with its focus on a wide range of issues pertaining to the jute agri-commodity system addressed against a historical background and from macro-economic analytical perspective. The volume offers stimulating reading for those interested in the dynamics of agricultural commodity systems like jute and allied fibres. The book is expected to help sensitise national governments, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations towards the eco-sustainability of jute as a natural fibre. The book can serve as an excellent reference book for post-graduate students in economics, jute and textiles management, development studies, regional development and agriculture and agro-marketing.

" How globalized information networks can be used for strategic advantage Until recently, globalization was viewed, on balance, as an inherently good thing that would benefit people and societies nearly everywhere.Now there is growing concern that some countries will use their position in globalized networks to gain undue influence over other societies through their dominance of information and financial networks, a concept known as “weaponized interdependence.” In exploring the conditions under which China, Russia, and the United States might be expected to weaponize control of information and manipulate the global economy, the contributors to this volume challenge scholars and practitioners to think differently about foreign economic policy, national security, and statecraft for the twenty-first century. The book addresses such questions as: What areas of the global economy are most vulnerable to unilateral control of informationand financial networks? How sustainable is the use of weaponized interdependence? What are the possible responses from targeted actors? And how sustainable is the open global economy if weaponized interdependence becomes a default tool for managing international relations? "