Purpose – This paper aims to examine issues of government policy in creating an infrastructure that supports innovation and expertise. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to reflect on trends in global trade and the role played by governments in supporting such trade. Findings –...

Purpose – To explore the factors underpinning economic productivity (at a national level) and related concepts such as competitiveness and identify key lessons for governments and organisations. Design/methodology/approach – Analyses published data and identifies internal and external,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of the emerging consensus about the need to tackle environmental issues alongside economic and business issues, in an integrated way that can achieve breakthrough improvements in both productivity and environmental impact. It also...

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the dissemination of high‐involvement innovation practices at Finnish workplaces and to consider how their adoption can be promoted by means of a publicly‐funded R&D programme. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical material is based on a survey...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the weaknesses which result in the concept of process performance measurement being ineffectively translated into effective measurement and action regimes. Design/methodology/approach – In spite of the fact that process performance...

Purpose – This study sets out to describe activities within The Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation, one of the earliest national bodies to promote and develop the concept of social innovation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the concept of social innovation and then...

Purpose – This paper aims to examine issues surrounding the competitiveness of the Visegrad countries that have recently joined the European Union, and in particular, to analyse a set of structural indicators that help assess the degree to which they are meeting the terms of the Lisbon...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges facing European manufacturing industry in an age of increasing global competitiveness and to explore models for survival. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reflects on trends in global manufacturing and examines the...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create a social, environmental and economic (SEE) index for countries. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology in the OECD handbook on building composite indicators is followed. The data are taken from UN data sources. Findings – An index is...