Creativity, Innovation and Technical Efficiency : An Analysis from the Nordic Countries and the Atlantic ARC

This paper analyzes how knowledge platforms that combine technology, human capital and relational capital, affect creativity, innovation and technical efficiency on collaborative relation in the European regions. From a panel of data for the period from 2002 to 2006, the study particularly analyzes the determinants of creativity and innovation, and a comparison is made between the regions of Nordic countries (regions of states: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and the regions of Atlantic Arc countries (regions of states: United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain). The findings reveal that human capital has a direct effect over innovation (number of patents) and operates as a crucial variable in the process of generation of innovation which connects the factors related to technological innovation. Technological capital plays an important role in generating innovation and collaborative relations were found to be significantly associated with the generation of innovation. The regions of the Northern European countries were found to be more technically efficient to generate innovation compared to those of the Atlantic Arc. From the Atlantic Arc, English and Spanish regions were found to be more technically efficient, leaving the French and Portuguese regions behind