Sociotechnical systems in areas like energy, agrifood and mobility need to transform rapidly to become more sustainable and resilient. Science, technology and innovation (STI) have essential roles in these transformations, but governments must be more ambitious and act with greater urgency in their STI policies to meet these challenges.
Over the past few years, the global economy has suffered profound shocks that have had a marked impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs. While government support protected SMEs from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, new threats have emerged.
Measuring innovation in education and understanding its drivers and obstacles is essential to improve the quality of the education sector – and of specific educational establishments. Are pedagogical and administrative practices changing in the expected direction?
The report sets the scene for rural innovation in Canada, explores the policy and governance environment for key regional innovation initiatives, and includes a special topic chapter on green innovation in rural regions of Canada.
In this insightful book, Frank W. Geels provides an advanced and evidenced introduction to one of the most important and dynamic topics in contemporary debates on how to address grand challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.
Key priorities include maintaining the continuity and quality of government civilian missions, levelling the playing field for private actors entering the market, and securing the orbital environment for future generations. This edition of the Space Economy in Figures delves into these topics, drawing from both established and novel economic and policy data sources.
Lerong Lu examines the biggest change in modern financial industry - the Fintech (financial technology) revolution - that denotes the close interaction between the financial services industry and latest information technologies such as big data, cloud computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence. The three areas of banking institutions, online lending marketplaces, and money and payment systems are explored to assess how financial innovations affect the traditional financial industry, what kinds of regulatory challenges arise, and how global policymakers react to such challenges. With in-depth and international case studies on Fintech, including app-based banking services, mobile payments, P2P lending, and cryptocurrencies, the global Fintech hubs in six continents are assessed. The complex, dynamic, and multidimensional Fintech ecosystem is also investigated including its key players (such as regulatory strategy, regulatory sandbox, and RegTech) and Fintech corporations (including financial holding companies, Fintech unicorns, BigTech firms, and Metaverse platforms). Lu highlights the enormous benefits for financial institutions and their consumers and argues that Fintech contributes to a more equal, democratic, inclusive, and sustainable financial system. However, he also considers the risks and multiple legal, ethical, and regulatory challenges for policy-makers and financial authorities that Fintech has posed.
In the current fast-paced business environment, organizations face the challenge of managing internal innovation efforts while leveraging external expertise and resources. Traditional innovation management approaches may struggle to keep up with the rapid changes in technology and market dynamics. Organizations must master innovation while ensuring sustainability and adopting more inclusive and collaborative innovation practices. To address these challenges, the book Mastering Innovation in Business provides a comprehensive solution by delving deep into the principles and practices of open innovation. By examining the evolution of management and the dynamics of open innovation, this book equips readers with the knowledge and strategies needed to manage innovation effectively in a rapidly changing business landscape. It explores intellectual property management, metrics for measuring innovation, and cultural influences on innovation. It offers practical insights and actionable strategies for fostering a culture of innovation within organizations. Additionally, the book delves into the role of digital transformation in driving innovation. It guides how organizations can leverage digital technologies to enhance their innovation efforts.
The 2024 edition of the United Nations’ World Economic Situation and Prospects report comes amid stark global economic inequalities and high geopolitical tensions. While rich economies have largely bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic, developing economies have lost ground. Many are drowning in debt, with more than a third at risk of crisis. Investment in climate action and sustainable development is falling woefully short. Hunger and poverty are on the rise. And growing divisions between countries and economies are preventing an effective response. As this report makes clear, 2024 is projected to be another tough year. Sluggish global growth is projected to slow further. Investment will remain weak. The debt crisis will continue to spiral, as debt service obligations reach new heights. Devastating conflicts and escalating extreme weather are bringing uncertainty and risk to the global economy.
