This book examines the role of intangible assets (IA) in companies and countries for achieving sustainable economic growth. The authors particularly focus on Sweden and other Nordic countries to analyse the IA gap using a systematized IA metrics approach. They also discuss the incentives needed for strategic investments into useful IA to gain national competitiveness from an economic, social and environmental policy perspective.

The authors contend that despite the increasing importance of IA and intellectual capital (IC) in the economy, the current discussion has only been centered on intellectual property, which is one of the more prominent forms of intangibles. As this book demonstrates, IC and IA encompass wider dimensions of human, process, market, and renewal capital, among others. Featuring real case examples from Spotify, Minecraft and Izettle, this book offers a strategy for the resurrection of competitive advantage in the globalized economy and the advancement of some key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Provides a unique economic, social and environmental policy analysis on intangible assets (IA) Proposes a strategy and policy approach to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Compares Sweden's intangible assets (IA) with smaller, similar, high-tech nations

Autorentext

Eskil Ullberg is Adjunct Professor of Economics at George Mason University (Fairfax, Virginia, USA) and Director of the Trade in Ideas Program hosted at the Institute for Management of Innovation and Technology (Sweden). His research interest is on markets in patents, and how they leverage the human capital formation, especially for developing countries, through exchange in human ideas leading to specialization in patented technology and thereby to gains in the global stock of technology. He has published books, articles and policy speeches on the subject including markets in patents (IP) as a new economic development policy emphasising the importance of institutional arrangements, and management of risk and uncertainty through IP strategy. This new economic development policy was evaluated in a pilot-study with five+ developing countries in 2017-2019 with the purpose of informing a policy discussion on trade in ideas (IP). Prof. Ullberg is a pioneer in experimental studies of markets in patents and is active in the patent market and cross-border trade discussions with Members of and the institutions of the United Nations, the European Commission and the World Trade Organization.

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. IC and long-term wealth creation - a national level perspective.- Chapter 3. IC & IA mapping enterprise level.- Chapter 4. Policy implications.- Chapter 5. Discussions of further dimensions.- Chapter 6. Strategic initiatives.- Chapter 7. Postscript.