Reimagining Innovation Systems in the COVID and Post-COVID World

Lakhwinder Singh is Visiting Professor at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi. Prior to this, he was Professor and Head at the Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala, where he founded the Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies (CDEIS). He is the founding editor of Millennial Asia: An International Journal of Asian Studies. He has more than three decades experience of teaching and research and has published extensively in the areas of economics, development studies, and public policy. His most recent book, Covid-19 Pandemic and Economic Development was published in 2021.K J Joseph is Director at the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He is also the Secretary General of the Globelics and the former President of Globelics. Prior to this, he was the Ministry of Commerce Chair Professor at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, India. He has also served as Professor at prestigious institutions of higher learning such as RIS and JNU at New Delhi, India. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Innovation and Development journal. He has researched and published extensively in the areas of economics, finance, development, and public policy.

‘This book is a rare collection of insightful essays written by eminent scholars of national innovation systems from around the world. It is very timely as it reflects a deep understanding of the Covid-19 led devastation of both humans and global governance. It presents a critique of the public policy actions taken by the individual countries and proposes viable alternatives striking a new balance between the roles of the state and the markets. The essays have rightly identified major challenges faced by the global economy and proposed reimagining innovation system perspectives to not only overcome them but also propose inclusive and sustainable solutions for them. Editors deserve appreciation for collecting freshly written essays that ignite the minds of the reader and stimulate thinking not only of the economists but social scientists and the general public. It is a must-read for development and innovation studies scholars, science policy, social scientists, and public policy-makers alike.’Keun Lee, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea and Editor, Research Policy‘Technological creativity is the foundation of economic progress, what economic historian Joel Mokyr described as "the lever of riches." But the link from technological advances to economic gains depends on the entire complex of institutions in a society, what is commonly termed a national innovation system. Lakhwinder Singh and K.J. Joseph have co-edited a collection of 16 essays that reimagines the concept of an innovation system in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. True to its subject, the contributions in this book are creative and thought-provoking, covering a diverse set of topics, countries, and regions. The book is very timely and will be essential reading for those interested in the future course of the world’s economies.’Nirvikar Singh, Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA.‘This original and novel book by Professors Lakhwinder Singh and K J Joseph is a must-read for researchers and policy-makers to appreciate, utilise and apply innovation systems to address the varied health, economic, environmental and social problems the world is in at the moment. I congratulate all the contributors for addressing the current COVID-19 health challenges along the existing economic and social problems. This book can be the library resource that all stakeholders including policy makers can learn to move from the current COVID-19 and climate change crises to a post- COVID-19 global order with the all-inclusive and comprehensive provision of health security. This book will make a great impact and I strongly recommend its circulation globally.’Mammo Muchie, DSI/NRF SARChi Rated Research Professor in Science, Technology, innovation Studies, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa‘This is a timely and important book for anyone interested in innovation systems, and indeed anyone interested in how the global pandemic is changing how our economies work. The book argues for reflection about what we have just experienced, encourages thoughtful change based on those reflections, and offers suggestions about how we might build improved and more resilient systems. In drawing together both theoretical and empirical contributions from a host of contexts, nations and scholars, this book represents what it advocates: we can take this moment to collaborate effectively and intentionally to improve the systems we have often taken for granted.’Daniel K N Johnson, Chair Professor, Colorado College, Colorado, USA

• List of Figures. List of Tables. List of Contributors. Preface. List of Abbreviations. 1. Reimagining Innovation System in Pandemic Shock and Aftermath Part I: Challenges to Innovation System in Uncertain Times 2. Innovation System and the Covid-19 Crisis 3. Beyond the COVID19 Pandemic: Renewing Innovation Frontiers to Strengthen Sustainability 4. Innovation in the times of Covid-19: What can we learn from a pandemic in the knowledge economy 5. Global Governance, Covid-19 Crisis and Challenges to Innovation System: Perspectives from Asia Part II: Response of the Innovation System in Covid-19 Crisis 6. Innovating out of COVID-19 pandemic: whither developing countries? 7. COVID-19 Pandemic and the Emergence of Integrated Innovation System (IIS) 8. Creatively destroying Vaccine Apartheid: Emerging STI Lessons from the CoVID-19 Pandemic in a Combined, Uneven, yet Common, Global Context 9. Covid-19: Opportunities, New Expectations and Challenges for Innovation Policy 10. Firm responses to COVID-19 in India Part III: Critical Perspective on Innovation Policy in the Context of Covid-19 Crisis 11. Learning from Covid-19 for reimaging innovation systems - perspectives from Germany 12. Covid-19 and the relevance of reimagining Innovation Systems: a vision from Brazil 13. Reactivation policies to address the pandemic crisis: experiences in Costa Rica 14. Path Formation for Atmanirbhar Bharat and the Politics of India’s Post-COVID 19 STI Vision and Strategy 15. The Covid pandemic as catalyst for directing innovation policy and research towards transformation and inclusive development: evidence from South African challenges 16. Reflections on fintech and COVID-19: lessons from Kenya 17. Dreaming with Innovation Systems: The Plausible Pathways from the Pandemic. Index.