Are Technology Institutes a Satisfactory Tool for Public Intervention in the Area of Technology? A Neoclassical and Evolutionary Evaluation

Abstract

Many public efforts have been made to foster the creation and development of organisations aimed at encouraging innovativeness in firms (and especially in small and medium-sized enterprises). In Spain, technology institutes (TIs) have been a key tool in this respect and it is necessary to evaluate whether their performance is meeting the objectives of technology policy postulated by both neoclassical and evolutionary authors. We create a set of specific indicators designed to accomplish this empirical task. Our results suggest that TIs are helping to reduce market failures in the area of technology and to foster relationships among innovation-system actors. Wide regional disparities can be explained by the different roles played by regional governments.