Dr Cecilia Rikap

What is the place of innovation in economic theory?

L/O:

• Knowledge & innovation as an economic issue
• Reconstruct different approaches to distinguishing production and use of knowledge
• Ability to move beyond the ‘romantic view’ of innovation as progress
• What does it mean to say that innovation is political?

Key take aways:

• The production and use of knowledge (innovation) as an economic concept
• Ability to deconstruct the idea that innovation means progress

Knowledge is:

• Not cumulative but path dependant
• Centrality of learning
• knowledge is not only science based
• The truth is produced with agencies (the discoveries) and political and economic decisions.

—START—

First, what is economics?

Ceclia’s take on economics is that; as a scientific discipline it seeks to understand how we reproduce as living beings in a specific social formation called capitalism. I.e. the study of production, distribution, consumption and the behaviours within/between them. Economics is also surplus: at the basis of social relations in capitalism. There are many schools of thoughts on economics.