Title: The challenges of fostering innovation: Russia's unstable progress

Authors: Evgeny A. Klochikhin

Addresses: Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Booth Street West, MBS, Harold Hankins Building, Manchester M15 6PB, UK; Moscow State Institute of International Relations, MGIMO-University, 76 Vernadskogo prospect, Moscow, 119454, Russia

Abstract: Innovation-based growth has become an important policy objective for emerging markets these days. By fostering innovation they seek to increase their competitiveness, boost their economies and achieve wider development goals. The BRIC countries have adopted various mid- and long-term strategies that will allow them to reach these aims. However, they face multiple challenges on the way to realising them. This article looks at one of the BRIC giants, Russia, which is considered to be one of the most promising economies in the contemporary world. It invests ample resources into its 'Five I's' - institutions, investment, infrastructure, innovation, and intellect - with the major goal of re-building the national innovation capabilities. Meanwhile, many obstacles hinder stable progress and postpone the country's ascension into the group comprising the world's leading economies. Major implications include the need to significantly improve policy design and policy governance as well as develop a firm-centred innovation system.

Keywords: innovation policy; economic development; technological change; national innovation system; NIS; research and development; R&D; emerging markets; BRIC countries; Russia; modernisation; state corporations; federal target programme; innovation capability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2012.049532

International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 2012 Vol.4 No.6, pp.659 - 678

Published online: 25 Nov 2014 *

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