Essays into the evolution of systems of innovation: A comparativephylogenetic tree approach

In the past decade, the innovation literature has a dedicated special attention to the High Technology (HT) sector. Such an attention was primarily due to the critical role high techs play to foster economic growth, building new economies, and enhancing the well being of societies. This increasing attention has pushed a considerable part of the innovation literature from the traditional Low, Medium Technology (LMT) sectors towards high tech (HT) sectors.;This research work targets three main hypotheses. The first addresses the HT sector maturity and whether we are currently witnessing a renewal and transformation phase, following the trajectory of the electronics sector. The second addressed the economies where those sectors are located. In other words, it assesses whether the innovation strategic context for LMT in leading economies will be as advanced as its HT sector. This level should be similar as well in catching up economies, but with a lesser magnitude then in leading economies. The third hypothesis will assess the feasibility of a phylogenetic tree approach to classify firms within systems of innovation (HT, LMT, Leading and Catching ups) and whether the inference of the evolution of the best practices within these systems is achievable.;The results support the hypothesis that HT and LMT are going through a sectoral renewal and transformation phase. Furthermore, since HT and LMT are complementary sectors, it is predominantly argued that economies excelling in one of the sectors should excel in the other as well. This research work proves that while this is true in catching up economies, it is not however in the case of leading economies. These results were to a great extent validated by using a phylogenetic tree approach.;Keywords: Systems of innovation, evolution, leading economies, catching-up economies, high technology, low and medium technologies, phylogenetic tree.;This deviation in the literature has caught the eye of innovation scholars who are currently highlighting the important role that LMT plays to increase economic growth and manage the currently increasing unemployment rates. This attempt to increase the awareness of the academic, industrial and financial sectors to the importance LMT cannot be isolated from the national system of innovation in which those sectors are positioned. Adding a supranational dimension, it is witnessed that a considerable proportion of LMT activities are currently migrating from leading to catching-up economies.