Part I: Introduction and Institutional Setting --; The Theoretical Foundations of the National Innovation Systems Approach --; The Sources of Belgian Prosperity --; The Institutional Profile --; Part II: The Inputs in the National Innovation System --; R & D Expenditures and the National Innovation System --; R & D Activities at the Firm Level --; The National Innovation System and Its International Linkages --; The Network of Joint Research Projects and Alliances --; Part III: The Outputs of the National Innovation System and Conclusion --; Technological Performance --; Technological Performance and Performance in International Trade --; Conclusions.
The subject of the book is the description and analysis of the national innovation system in Belgium. It is the first comprehensive study of its kind for Belgium. The approach - a "systemic" one, as opposed to the traditional "linear causal" approach - has increasingly become the framework for studies of the complex relationships between R & D, innovation, the economic performance of firms and of the economy as a whole, technological policy, and finally the institutional framework of the national economy, including its transnational aspects. The book pays attention to the institutional framework of Belgium, the inputs (human capital, R & D efforts, government support) into, and the outputs of the innovation system.