This book deals with aspects of the national innovation system of Belgium. It is the result of a study jointly undertaken by teams of the University of Antwerp (RUCA) and the Free University of Brussels (ULB) in the context of the OECD DSTI Working Group on Innovation and Technology Policy, which brought to gether specialists from most of the OECD countries in an effort to streamline and co-ordinate research on national innovation systems. The 'systemic' approach - as opposed to the traditional 'linear causal' ap proach - has, in recent years, increasingly become the framework for the study of the complex relationships between R&D, innovation, the economic performance of firms and of the economy in which they operate, technological policy, and, fi nally, the institutional framework of the national economy, including its transna tional aspects. Obviously, the systemic approach did not fall out of the blue but has its roots in different schools of economic thought. The theoretical foundations of the national innovation system approach are therefore first discussed in Chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce the reader to some peculiarities of the Belgian economy. Chapter 2 deals with the sources of Belgian prosperity, looked at from a long-term perspective and with particular attention being given to the small-open-economy characteristics of Belgium.

Inhalt
I Introduction and Institutional Setting.- 1. The Theoretical Foundations of the National Innovation Systems Approach.- 2. The Sources of Belgian Prosperity.- 3. The Institutional Profile.- II The Inputs in the National Innovation System.- 4. R&D Expenditures and the National Innovation System.- 5. R&D Activities at the Firm Level.- 6. The National Innovation System and its International Linkages.- 7. The Network of Joint Research Projects and Alliances.- III The Outputs of the National Innovation System and Conclusion.- 8. Technological Performance.- 9. Technological Performance and Performance in International Trade.- 10. Conclusions.- List of Tables.- List of Figures and Maps.- References.- Author Index.