The Elgar Companion to Innovation and Knowledge Creation

Edited by Harald Bathelt, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Governance, Departments of Political Science and Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Patrick Cohendet, Professor, Department of International Business, HEC Montréal, Canada, Sebastian Henn, Professor, Department of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany and Laurent Simon, Professor, Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, HEC Montréal, Canada

This unique Companion provides a comprehensive overview and critical evaluation of existing conceptualizations and new developments in innovation research. It draws on multiple perspectives of innovation, knowledge and creativity from economics, geography, history, management, political science and sociology. The Companion brings together leading scholars to reflect upon innovation as a concept (Part I), innovation and institutions (Part II), innovation and creativity (Part III), innovation, networking and communities (Part IV), innovation in permanent spatial settings (Part V), innovation in temporary, virtual and open settings (Part VI), innovation, entrepreneurship and market making (Part VII), and the governance and management of innovation (Part VIII).

‘Overall, this is a dense and exhaustive handbook that has the ambition to tackle one of the most important phenom.ena of our times and the dynamics underlying it. And it does so by drawing on the perspec.tives of multiple established researchers in a variety of fields while at the same time leaving room for the reader’s critical reflection and analysis.’
– Giulio Buciuni, Journal of Economic Geography

‘I would say that this Companion is, certainly, a reference in the domain, the right volume for anyone who aims to learn more about the topic of innovation and knowledge creation. A reference that should appear in all Theses on innovation, management and creativity, and which already figures in several publications. Proof of its significance for the academic environment.’
– Thierry Burger-Helmchen, Journal of Innovation Economics & Management

‘This is an innovative book on innovation. It innovates through the organisation of the subject achieved by the four editors. It digs into innovation as a concept, as institutions, as creativity, channeled through temporary and permanent organisations, shaping markets and dialoguing with entrepreneurship, and as embedded in places and networks. The contributions are not just hagiographies. All have critical thinking, questioning categories and data and findings. These are reasons why this book will become the essential reference in the field.’
– Michael Storper, The London School of Economics, UK

‘This very wide-ranging selection of chapters reflects a much broader outlook than most other innovation research collections. It is not wedded to any school or discipline, yet it draws on relevant ideas from virtually all of them. It is an ideal companion for a reader interested in the various new perspectives on innovation that have emerged recently and how these are connected to established themes, or the reader interested in developing a more interdisciplinary appreciation of the subject area.’
– John Cantwell, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark