Assessing the Dual Innovation Capability of National Innovation System: Empirical Evidence from 65 Countries

Abstract

Open innovation has drawn significant attention over the years, and there is a growing body of literature that highlights the importance of considering this phenomenon at the national level. Less appreciated, however, is the radiative capability of national innovation systems (NIS) and the linking inbound and outbound processes. We provide a measurement of the dual innovation capability (DIC) of NISs based on process-oriented concepts by using a multi-indicator approach, which provides a more comprehensive picture of sectoral NISs compared to currently used metrics. To assess the DIC of NISs, a composite weighting method was used to obtain the score of our selection of 65 countries. The results show the spatio-temporal evolution of DIC from 2010 to 2018 and explore the interactions among sub-elements within the framework. The 65 countries were grouped into 4 categories based on the sub-dimension scores, and we provided 3 possible paths that can be chosen to improve DIC. The index provides a powerful tool to enrich research on innovation systems, guide national positioning, and optimize policies.

Keywords

• dual innovation capability
• process-oriented
• open innovation
• national innovation system
• composite indicator