Heterogeneous impact of innovation on economic development: Evidence from EU regions

IF 12.5 1区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL ISSUES

Technology in Society Pub Date : 2025-10-05 DOI:10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103100

Mehmet Pinar , Burhan Can Karahasan

{"title":"Heterogeneous impact of innovation on economic development: Evidence from EU regions","authors":"Mehmet Pinar , Burhan Can Karahasan","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103100","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the heterogeneous impact of innovation on economic development across European Union (EU) regions, with a focus on regional competitiveness driven by innovation-based capabilities. While innovation is a key driver of economic growth, its effects are not uniformly distributed. Using the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression models, the study examines how different dimensions of innovation (technological readiness, business sophistication, and overall innovation capacity) affect regional GDP per capita. The results show that regions with higher innovation-based competitiveness generally achieve higher income levels. However, the impact of innovation is spatially uneven. While core EU regions (particularly, in Northern and Western Europe) benefit more strongly from innovation, peripheral regions (in Southern and Eastern Europe) often experience weaker and in some cases even negative, effects. These results highlight the importance of accounting for spatial variation when designing innovation and cohesion policies. The paper calls for tailored, place-based strategies to address regional disparities in innovation-driven development and suggests that current EU policies should be adjusted to better support lagging regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 103100"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Technology in Society","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X25002908","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SOCIAL ISSUES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This paper investigates the heterogeneous impact of innovation on economic development across European Union (EU) regions, with a focus on regional competitiveness driven by innovation-based capabilities. While innovation is a key driver of economic growth, its effects are not uniformly distributed. Using the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression models, the study examines how different dimensions of innovation (technological readiness, business sophistication, and overall innovation capacity) affect regional GDP per capita. The results show that regions with higher innovation-based competitiveness generally achieve higher income levels. However, the impact of innovation is spatially uneven. While core EU regions (particularly, in Northern and Western Europe) benefit more strongly from innovation, peripheral regions (in Southern and Eastern Europe) often experience weaker and in some cases even negative, effects. These results highlight the importance of accounting for spatial variation when designing innovation and cohesion policies. The paper calls for tailored, place-based strategies to address regional disparities in innovation-driven development and suggests that current EU policies should be adjusted to better support lagging regions.

查看原文本刊更多论文

创新对经济发展的异质性影响：来自欧盟地区的证据

本文研究了创新对欧盟各地区经济发展的异质性影响，重点研究了创新能力驱动的区域竞争力。虽然创新是经济增长的关键驱动力，但其影响并不均匀分布。利用多尺度地理加权回归模型，本研究考察了创新的不同维度（技术准备程度、商业成熟度和整体创新能力）对地区人均GDP的影响。研究结果表明，创新竞争力越强的地区，总体收入水平越高。然而，创新的影响在空间上是不平衡的。虽然欧盟核心地区（特别是北欧和西欧）从创新中受益更大，但外围地区（南欧和东欧）的影响往往较弱，在某些情况下甚至是负面的。这些结果强调了在设计创新和凝聚力政策时考虑空间变化的重要性。该报告呼吁制定有针对性的、基于地方的战略，以解决创新驱动发展中的地区差异问题，并建议调整欧盟目前的政策，以更好地支持落后地区。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Technology in Society Multiple-

CiteScore

17.90

自引率

14.10%

发文量

316

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： Technology in Society is a global journal dedicated to fostering discourse at the crossroads of technological change and the social, economic, business, and philosophical transformation of our world. The journal aims to provide scholarly contributions that empower decision-makers to thoughtfully and intentionally navigate the decisions shaping this dynamic landscape. A common thread across these fields is the role of technology in society, influencing economic, political, and cultural dynamics. Scholarly work in Technology in Society delves into the social forces shaping technological decisions and the societal choices regarding technology use. This encompasses scholarly and theoretical approaches (history and philosophy of science and technology, technology forecasting, economic growth, and policy, ethics), applied approaches (business innovation, technology management, legal and engineering), and developmental perspectives (technology transfer, technology assessment, and economic development). Detailed information about the journal's aims and scope on specific topics can be found in Technology in Society Briefings, accessible via our Special Issues and Article Collections.