Institucionalne pretpostavke tranzicije u gospodarstvo znanja: karika koja nedostaje
Institutional Prerequisites of Transition into Knowledge Economy: The Missing Link

Summary/Abstract: The main aim of the paper is to provide an alternative paradigm of transition of the Croatian economy towards knowledge economy, which is based on the concept of national innovation system and innovation policy. Following this aim, the main differences between the liberal neo-classical and evolutionary- -institutional approach to technical change and economic growth are discussed. The process of transformation of technical change from an exogenous to endogenous phenomenon is explained as well as the process of the emergence of the "new innovation paradigm". It serves as an argument for considering economic growth as a phenomenon deeply embedded in socio-cultural and institutional context, and not the power beyond it. The role of state, political elite and policy in general is emphasized as essential for shaping economic growth. The paper claims that the Croatian political and managerial elites are utterly deficient in knowing how to initiate economic growth based on knowledge since they neglect the importance of institutional and socio- -cultural conditions of development. Their policy actions are limited to the standard science policy instead of introduction of the innovation policy. In order to prove the thesis, the critical overview of the role of the Program HITRA, the first innovation policy program in Croatia, is presented. The selected statistical indicators to illustrate the main features of the Croatian innovation and research system are also provided.

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