EU innovation policy: the role of social capital

Official URL: http://192.168.1.20/record=b1301391 (Table of Contents)

This thesis attempts to illustrate how social capital facilitates innovation, leading to economic development and how this conceptualization of social capital provides the basis for innovation policy within the European Union. Social capital embedded within the local economy contributes to economic development by facilitating innovation through the bonds of trust created by shared values and norms, face-to-face contact, and learning. The EU endeavors to create a dynamic, competitive and innovative Europe through a knowledge-based economy. The main objective of this paper is to identify the concepts which support this endeavor by establishing innovation policy based on collaborative networks in clusters within the European Union.