What contextual factors shape ‘innovation in innovation’? Integration of insights from the Triple Helix and the institutional logics perspective

Abstract

While the Triple Helix relationship between university, industry and government, called ‘innovation in innovation’ by Etzkowitz, has frequently been a key concept guiding national and regional innovation policies around the world, there is an emerging awareness that no one-size-fits-all approach can be used in developing innovation systems. Criticism has been expressed that the conceptualization of the Triple Helix model in the most recent literature pays little attention to contextual effects. The present article seeks to enhance the context sensitivity of the Triple Helix model by integrating it with the insights of institutional logics. More specifically, seven ‘ideal’ institutional logics aligned with ‘ideal’ Triple Helix activities in Western society are identified. These have a potential to be used as a conceptual/benchmarking framework for understanding how institutional settings, particularly institutional logics, influence the development of Triple Helix innovation systems in different national contexts. To verify such a proposition, some alternative Triple Helix models as well as associated institutional logics are compared to the ideal-type, demonstrating that different institutional logics may divert the Triple Helix interactions in other directions. Meanwhile, it is claimed that institutional logics do not necessarily lead to a Triple Helix model but serve only as enabling conditions. To what extent the Triple Helix will be developed depends on innovation policies and on the key actors involved in the innovation process. The framework constructed in this study aims to provide a solid basis from which policymakers, especially those from developing and transition countries, may improve the design of these innovation policies by employing appropriate Triple Helix approaches.