Demand vs. supply driven innovations: US and Swedish experiences in academic entrepreneurship

Arbeitspapier

Measured by per-capita publication measures, Sweden is an academic powerhouse. Hence, its inability to commercialize on these accomplishments is a puzzle. This paper attributes this failure to the top-down nature of Swedish policies aimed at commercializing these innovations as well as an academic environment that discourages academics from actively participating in the commercialization of their ideas. This sits in stark contrast to the US institutional setting that is characterized by competition between universities for research funds and research personnel, which in turn has led to significant academic freedoms to interact with industry, particularly by founding new firms. We conclude that the technocratic, supply-driven nature of attempts to exploit academic output in Sweden has been markedly less successful than the demand-driven market institutions in the US.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance ; No. 436

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives ; Management of Technological Innovation and R&D ; Comparative Studies of Countries
• Subject: Academic entrepreneurship ; Innovation ; R&D ; Spin-off firms ; Technology transfer ; University-industry relations ; Universities and business formation

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Goldfarb, Brent ; Henrekson, Magnus ; Rosenberg, Nathan
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Stockholm School of Economics, The Economic Research Institute (EFI)
• (where): Stockholm
• (when): 2001

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/56272
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET