Resumo

PENA CEDILLO, Jesús. La innovación como un fenómeno evolutivo: implicaciones para la economía y las políticas públicas asociadas. INCI [online]. 2003, vol.28, n.6, pp.355-361. ISSN 0378-1844.

The phenomenon of innovation and the necessary transformation of its traditional approach from economic sciences are discussed. The main characteristics of innovation’s evolution are identified and it is shown that neoclassic economics does not provide adequate tools to study this phenomenon nor to derive practical actions to guide it. Under this approach, it is maintained that the abandonment of some of the dearest neoclassical pretensions, particularly that of a "unique and best" way to manage economic processes, has a crucial consequence for governments: intervention policies to promote innovation can, and should, be supported by richer and more comprehensive arguments than those suggested by neoclassic economics. As a counterpart, it is shown how institutionalist and evolutionist approaches applied to economics can become the fundamental nucleus of a new way to conceive innovation, with the capacity to derive new and more adequate solutions to this processes in the contemporary world. Specific proposals of public policies for innovation, supported on these alternative approaches, are presented.

Palavras-chave : Ciencia y Tecnología ; Economía ; Evolucionismo ; Innovación ; Políticas Públicas .