Dominique Foray

dominique.foray@epfl.ch +41 21 693 00 35 http://cemi.epfl.ch
Citizenship: French and Swiss
EPFL > VPA-AVP-DLE > AVP-DLE-EDOC > EDMT-ENS
Fields of expertise
- Science and technology indicators
- Technology policy
- Knowledge-based economy
- Innovation & development
- Smart specialization
Current work
In this section, I describe my main current research topics and my main recent publications as well as some works in progress related to each of these topics*SMART SPECIALISATION AND INNOVATION POLICIES IN THE EU AND BEYOND
-"Smart specialisation strategies: Insights from a unique European Policy experiment on innovation and industrial Policy designed", with M.Eichler and M.Keller, submitted to Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, 2020
-"In response to
Biography
1 - Current occupations and activitiesI am Full Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and hold the Chair of Economics and Management of Innovation (CEMI).
I am a member of the Swiss Council for Science (SWR); chairman of the Advisory Board of the Swiss Economic Research Institute (KOF); and a foreign member of the Center of Capitalism and Society (Columbia University, New York).
From 2007 to 2015, I served as a member of the Swiss National Research Council (Division IV - Large Scale Programs)
From 2013 to 2016, I was a member of the Expert Commission for Research and Innovation of Germany (E-FI) and a member of the Expert Group for the National Report on Research and Innovation (SBFI, Switzerland).
From 2008 to 2011, I served as chairman of the expert group Knowledge for Growth; a group of prominent economists created to advise Commissioner J. Potocnik (European Commission, DG research). This is during this service as member of this Group that I developed the concept of smart specialisation (together with P.A.David and B.Hall) that is now a key policy mechanism of the EU (cohesion policy).
My expertise includes the economics of innovation and knowledge and the economic policy implications of the new knowledge-based economy. I have presented many opening speeches and key note address in academic and policy conferences on these topics. I have written numerous academic papers as well as two books and have edited several books and special issues in these fields. Among these books,I like to highlight :
Technology and the Wealth of Nations (Pinter, 1992) ed.with C.Freeman;
Unemployment and Growth in the Knowledge-based Economy (OECD, 1996), ed. with B.A.Lundvall;
Knowledge economies and societies (a special issue of the International Social Science Journal, Basil Blackwell, 2002, with editions in French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabs, Russian);
The Economics of knowledge (MIT press, 2004, paperback in 2006) with editions in France, Italy, Korea, China, Greece, Syria and Algeria
The New Economics of Technology Policy(Edward Elgar)2009, ed.;
. Smart specialisation : opportunities and challenges for regional innovation policy(Routledge, 2015)
Since 2017, I regularly contribute to the Swiss Science Council blog: https://blog.wissenschaftsrat.ch/
2 Education, previous appointments and academic positions
- I received my Ph.D. in economics in 1984 and my "habilitation à diriger des recherches" in 1992 from the University Lumière of Lyon.
- In 1985, I joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) as a Research Fellow in economics.
- In 1990, I joined the Ecole Centrale de Paris as professor of economics, and taught in the program ingénieur économiste.
- In 1993, I was nominated as Research Director at CNRS and joined the Institut pour le Management de la Recherche et de l
PUBLICATIONS
=> Dominique ForayPublications
Infoscience publications
Publications
2024
Innovation Economics for Future Times
Innovations. 2024. DOI : 10.3917/inno.pr2.0164.New ideas for funding scientific research in areas of societal relevance -analyzing the co-evolution of research methods and financial tools
20242022
The Economics of Incomplete Plan - on Conditions, Procedures and Design of Future Mission - Oriented Innovation Policies
Hacienda Publica Espanola-Review Of Public Economics. 2022. DOI : 10.7866/HPE-RPE.22.4.6.2021
Immigration, Innovation, and Knowledge Diffusion
Lausanne, EPFL, 2021. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8345.The formation of Coasean institutions to provide university knowledge for innovation: a case study and econometric evidence for Switzerland
Journal Of Technology Transfer. 2021. DOI : 10.1007/s10961-020-09828-z.Smart specialization strategies – insights gained from a unique European policy experiment on innovation and industrial policy design
Review of Evolutionary Political Economy. 2021. DOI : 10.1007/s43253-020-00026-z.2020
Six additional replies - one more chorus of the S3 ballad
European Planning Studies. 2020. DOI : 10.1080/09654313.2020.1797307.On the economics of social innovation - a conceptual framework and its policy implications
Innovation - Organization & Management. 2020. DOI : 10.1080/14479338.2020.1735394.COVID-19 : Insights from innovation economists
Science and Public Policy. 2020. DOI : 10.1093/scipol/scaa028.Institutions and Incentives in Knowledge Production and Diffusion: From Science to Innovation
Lausanne, EPFL, 2020. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10231.2019
In response to ‘Six critical questions about smart spezialisation’
European Planning Studies. 2019. DOI : 10.1080/09654313.2019.1664037.On sector-non-neutral innovation policy: towards new design principles
Journal of Evolutionary Economics. 2019. DOI : 10.1007/s00191-018-0599-8.Innovation capacity of the agricultural sector: network of productive interactions, knowledge transfer and differentiation mechanisms
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9116.2018
Economie de la Connaissance
Paris: La Découverte Repères.Smart specialization strategies and industrial modernization in European regions – theory and practice
Cambridge Journal of Economics. 2018. DOI : 10.1093/cje/bey022.Smart specialization strategies as a case of mission-oriented policy – a case study on the emergence of new policy practices
Industrial and Corporate Change. 2018. DOI : 10.1093/icc/dty030.2017
Does inventor centrality foster regional innovation? The case of the Swiss medical devices sector
Regional Studies. 2017. DOI : 10.1080/00343404.2017.1329585.Environmental innovation, policy and economic performance
Lausanne, EPFL, 2017. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8107.2016
Innovation dynamics in the medical device sector : network of collaborations, knowledge spillovers and regulation
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7257.On the policy space of smart specialization strategies
European Planning Studies. 2016. DOI : 10.1080/09654313.2016.1176126.2015
Institutions, Innovation and Public Health
Lausanne, EPFL, 2015. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6566.Smart Specialisation - Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Innovation Policy
Routledge.An assessment of the Innovation Union Scoreboard as a tool to analyse national innovation capacities: The case of Switzerland
Research Evaluation. 2015. DOI : 10.1093/reseval/rvu036.Common Innovation (how we create the wealth of nations) in the light of reflections on Mass Flourishing (how grassroots innovation created jobs, challenge, and change)
Research Policy. 2015. DOI : 10.1016/j.respol.2015.04.006.Should we let the Genie out of the bottle? On the new industrial policy agenda and the example of smart specialisation
Scienze Regionali. 2015.From transfer of technology to innovation : the centrality of the discovery process and economic knowledge
2015Transition economics meets new structural economics
Journal Of Economic Policy Reform. 2015. DOI : 10.1080/17487870.2015.1018691.Three essays on the role of proximity in science and innovation
Lausanne, EPFL, 2015. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6463.2014
From smart specialisation to smart specialisation policy
European Journal of Innovation Management. 2014. DOI : 10.1108/EJIM-09-2014-0096.Diversity, knowledge transfers and economic outcomes
Lausanne, EPFL, 2014. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6005.Product Development Partnerships for Neglected Diseases: Exploring a New Model of Pharmaceutical R&D
Science and Public Policy. 2014.2013
Corporate Science and Voluntary Disclosure : Analyzing Determinants and Firm Performance
Lausanne, EPFL, 2013. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-5934.Patent-free Innovation: a review of economic works including the analysis of a recent work in the field of experimental economics
Revue Economique. 2013.2012
The fragility of experiential knowledge
Handbook Of Knowledge And Economics; Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012.Why is it so difficult to translate innovation economics into useful and applicable policy prescriptions?
The rate and direction of inventive activity revisited; University of Chicago: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2012. p. 673 - 678.2011
Smart specialisation From academic idea to political instrument, the surprising career of a concept and the difficulties involved in its implementation
2011Educational innovation: an Economist’s perspective
Rigour and relevance in educational research; Oslo: The Research Council of Norway, 2011. p. 35 - 44.The challenge of innovation in turbulent times
2011The knowledge and the rabbit: can we measure what is on the other side of the scales?
Güterabwägung bei der Bewilligung von Tierversuchen – Die Güterabwägung interdisziplinär kritisch beleuchtet; Zürich: Collegium Helveticum, 2011.Social Software and Strategy
Long Range Planning. 2011. DOI : 10.1016/j.lrp.2011.08.001.Knowledge economy and services’industries – a case study of the educational sector
Brain drain or brain gain?; Berlin: Sigma, 2011.A la recherche d’une spécialisation intelligente des Régions Européennes
Futuris 2011 - La Recherche et l'Innovation en France; Paris: Odile Jacob, 2011.Le levier de l’innovation en manque d’incitations
L’Economie, une science qui nous gouverne ?; Paris: Actes Sud / Institut des Hautes Etudes pour la Science et la Technologie, 2011.2010
The challenge of innovation in turbulent times
2010Socio-Economic Assessment of Fusion Energy Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment Programme
Lausanne, EPFL, 2010. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4732.University research and public-private interaction
Handbook of the Economics of Innovation; Elsevier, 2010. p. 275 - 314.La Révolution Numérique et ses conséquences
Cahiers Français. 2010.Structural Changes in Industrial R&D in Europe and the US
Science and Public Policy. 2010. DOI : 10.3152/030234210X508606.A primer on patent and innovation
International Management. 2010. DOI : 10.7202/044290ar.Le positionnement et les perspectives stratégiques des nanotechnologies en France
2010Knowledge policy for development
Innovation and development agenda; Paris: OECD Innovation Strategy, 2010.Avec les armes de la sociologie de l’innovation: critique d’un travail récent d’économie expérimentale sur l’innovation et la propriété intellectuelle
Débordements: Mélanges offerts à Michel Callon; Paris: Presses des Mines, 2010.2009
L'économie de la connaissance
Paris: Éditions La Découverte.Science, technology and innovation for economic growth: Linking policy research and practice in 'STIG Systems'
2009. 40th Conference on the Future of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Brighton, ENGLAND, Sep 11-13, 2006. p. 681 - 693. DOI : 10.1016/j.respol.2009.01.016.Examining how TRIPS implementation affects access to foreign technologies for developing countries
Lausanne, EPFL, 2009. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4455.The sources of process innovation in user firms : an exploration of the antecedents and impact of non-R&D innovation and learning-by-doing
Lausanne, EPFL, 2009. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4402.Three essays on university-industry technology transfer and the economics of science
Lausanne, EPFL, 2009. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4473.The New Economics of Technology Policy
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.ERA: Entrepreneurial Regional Action
public service review: Science & Technology. 2009.Three essays on access to knowledge
Lausanne, EPFL, 2009. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4371.2008
Economie de la connaissance
Dictionnaire de l'éducation; Paris: Presses Universitaires France, 2008. p. 187 - 191.Overview on Knowledge for Growth: European issues and policy challenges
Knowledge for Growth. European Issues and Policy Challenges; Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008. p. 6 - 15.Combining the production and the valorization of academic research: a qualitative investigation of enacted mechanisms
European universities in transition. Issues, models and cases; Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2008. p. 133 - 153.2007
Patents and development in the knowledge economy
ICTSD Selected Issue Briefs. 2007.Tacit and codified knowledge
Elgar Companion to Neo-Schumpeterian Economics; Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2007. p. 235 - 247.Pitfalls in Estimating the Returns to Corporate R&D Using Accounting Data
2007Enriching the indicator base for the economics of knowledge
Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators in a Changing World. Responding to Policy Needs; OECDpublishing, 2007. p. 87 - 100.Building the capacity to experiment in schools: a case study of the Institute of Educational Sciences in the U.S. department of Education
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 2007. DOI : 10.1080/10438590600982475.Academic Licensing: a European Study
2007Randomized trials of education and medical practices: strengths and limitations
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 2007. DOI : 10.1080/10438590600982194.University-industry knowledge transfer in Switzerland
How universities promote economic growth; Washington: The World Bank, 2007. p. 47 - 70.Open software: knowledge openness and cooperation in cyberspace
Internet and digital economics: Principles, methods and applications; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. p. 368 - 390.Linking Policy Research and Practice in 'STIG Systems': Many Obstacles, but Some Ways Forward
20072006
The economics of open technology : collective organization and individual claims in 'fabrique lyonnaise' during the old regime
New frontiers in the economics of innovation and new technology; London: Edward Elgar, 2006.Linking policy research and practice in 'STIG systems': Many obstacles, but some ways forward
2006Une région apprenante dans le tournoi mondial
Le feu au lac; Zurich / Genève: NZZ Libro / Editions du Tricorne, 2006. p. 103 - 135.Globalization of R&D: linking better the European economy to 'foreign' sources of knowledge and making EU a more attractive place for R&D investment
2006Caractériser les projets d'innovation fondés sur la connaissance: une approche sectorielle
Management de projets; Hermes & Lavoisier, 2006.Learning from disaster
Applied Evolutionary Economics and the Knowledge-based Economy; Edward and Elgar, 2006.Optimizing the use of knowledge
Advancing knowledge and the knowledge economy; Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006. p. 9 - 16.New frontiers in the economics of innovation and new technology: essays in honour of P. A. David
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.Advancing knowledge and the knowledge economy
Cambridge: MIT Press.2005
The explicit economics of knowledge codification and tacitness
Understanding industrial and corporate change; Oxford University Press, 2005.La Suisse dans une économie globalisée de la connaissance
20052004
L'économie fondée sur les savoirs
Cahiers français. 2004.Les enjeux économiques de l'innovation: bilan du programme CNRS
Revue d'Economie Politique. 2004.The economics of knowledge
Cambridge: MIT Press.New models of innovation and the role of information technologies in the knowledge economy
Transforming enterprise: The economic and social implications of information technology; MIT Press, 2004.The patent system and the dynamics of innovation in Europe
Science and Public Policy. 2004. DOI : 10.3152/147154304781779732.2003
Trois modèles d’innovation dans l’économie de la connaissance
Encyclopédie de l’Innovation; Economica, 2003.The development of knowledge in different sectors: a model and some hypotheses
London Review of Education. 2003. DOI : 10.1080/14748460306689.On the French system of innovation : between institutional inertia and rapid changes
Innovation Policies in Europe and the US: The New Agenda; Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003.On the creation of fundamental knowledge: finding the right balance between the public and private domains
Economics, Law and Intellectual Property; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003. p. 199 - 221.On the economics of R&D and technological collaborations
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 2003. DOI : 10.1080/10438590303118.Measuring knowledge management
Paris: OECD.The economics of knowledge reproduction by inscription
Industrial and Corporate Change. 2003. DOI : 10.1093/icc/12.2.299.Knowledge production and distribution and the economics of high-tech consortia
Change, Transformation and Development; Physica-Verlag, 2003.On the provision of industry specific public goods: revisiting a policy process
Science and Innovation. Rethinking the rationales for funding and governance; London: Edward Elgar, 2003.2002
An introduction to economy of the knowledge society
International Social Science Journal. 2002.New and old economics in the economy: a comment on K. Stiroh
Economic policy issues of the new economy; Heidelberg: Springer, 2002.Innovation et concurrence dans les industries de réseau
Revue Française de Gestion. 2002.Intellectual property rights
International Encyclopedia of Business & Management; Thomson Learning, 2002.Economic Fundamentals of the Knowledge Society
2002The knowledge economy and society
International Social Science Journal. 2002.Les enjeux économiques de l'innovation: un bilan scientifique du programme CNRS
2002Ce que l'économiste néglige ou ignore en matière d'analyse de l'innovation
Approches interdisciplinaires de l'innovation; Paris: L'Harmattan, 2002.On the codifiability of knowledge : technical change and the structure of cognitive activities
Economics and information; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002. p. 155 - 165.Complex systems and collective adoption
Networks, Alliances and Partnerships in the Innovation Process; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002. p. 191 - 198.The knowledge dilemma and the geography of innovation
Institutions and systems in the geography of innovation; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002. p. 35 - 54.Economic Fundamentals of the Knowledge Society
2002Evolutionary economics and the counterfactual threat: on the nature and role of counterfactual history as an empirical tool in economics
Journal of Evolutionary Economics. 2002. DOI : 10.1007/s00191-002-0134-8.2001
Knowledge management in the innovation process
Dordrecht: Kluwer.Facing the problem of unbalanced development of knowledge across sectors and fields: the case of the knowledge base in primary education
Research Policy. 2001. DOI : 10.1016/S0048-7333(01)00167-6.Public dimensions of the knowledge-driven economy
2001Public management of positive research externalities
Doing business in the knowledge-based economy; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. p. 329 - 348.Economie de la connaissance : le rôle des consortiums de haute technologie dans la production de bien public
Economie et Prévision. 2001.Science et économie : quelles régulations?
Les régulations sociales des sciences; Commission nationale suisse pour l'UNESCO, 2001.Continuities and ruptures in knowledge management practices
Knowledge management and innovation; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. p. 43 - 52.L'économie du logiciel libre : organisation coopérative et incitation à l'innovation
Revue Economique. 2001.Public Knowledge, Private Property and the Economics of High-tech Consortia
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 2001. DOI : 10.1080/10438590210898.La complémentarité entre le financement public et le financement privé de la recherche et de l'innovation : pistes pour évaluer les tendances actuelles
20012000
Inertie institutionelle et performance technologique dans la dynamique des systèmes d'innovation
Innovations institutionnelles et territoires; Paris: L'Harmattan, 2000.L'économie de la connaissance
Paris: La Découverte Repères.The explicit economics of knowledge codification and tacitness
Industrial and Corporate Change. 2000. DOI : 10.1093/icc/9.2.211.Technological accidents: Learning from disaster
2000Intellectual property and innovation in the knowledge-based economy
20001999
La régulation de la propriété intellectuelle dans les consortiums de recherche : les types de solutions élaborées par les chercheurs
Revue d'Economie Appliquée. 1999.Book Review: Technology and Global Change
Research Policy. 1999. DOI : 10.1016/S0048-7333(99)00017-7.Innovations et Performances des Firmes
Paris: EHESS.Normes et innovations dans la dynamique technologique
La rupture technologique; Economica, 1999.Science, technology and market
World Social Science Report; UNESCO/Elsevier, 1999.De la Coordination
Paris: Economica.1998
Quand les agents sont-ils décisifs (ou négligeables)?
De la coordination; Economica, 1998.The economics of knowledge openness
Trust and Economic Learning; London: Edward Elgar, 1998.Errors and mistakes in technological systems: from potential regret to path-dependent inefficiency
Advances in Self-Organization and Evolutionary Economics; Economica, 1998.The innovation vs. standardization dilemma : some insights from stochastic interactions models
Evolution and Self-Organization in Economics; Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1998. p. 147 - 182.The emergence of network organizations in processes of technological choices: a viability approach
The Economics of Network; Springer, 1998. p. 283 - 290.The research network and the new economics of science
The organization of innovative activities in Europe; Cambridge University Press, 1998.Economie de la codification et de la diffusion de la connaissance
Economie de l'information; La Découverte, 1998.Marshallian externalities and the emergence and spatial stability of technological enclaves
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 1998. DOI : 10.1080/10438599800000018.1997
Book Review: Economics of technology
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 1997. DOI : 10.1080/10438599700000010.Generation and distribution of technological knowledge: incentives, norms and institutions
Systems of Innovation: Technologies, Institutions and Organizations; London: Pinter Publishers, 1997. p. 41 - 63.Codes informationnels, échanges électroniques de données et nouveaux dispositifs de coordination
Les frontières de la firme; Economica, 1997.The economics of codification and the diffusion of knowledge
Industrial and Corporate Change. 1997. DOI : 10.1093/icc/6.3.595.Une introduction à l'économie fondée sur la connaissance
Économie de la connaissance et organisations; Paris: L'Harmattan, 1997. p. 16 - 38.The dynamic implications of increasing returns: Technological change and path dependent inefficiency
International Journal of Industrial Organization. 1997. DOI : 10.1016/S0167-7187(97)00009-X.Nouvelle économie de la science ou socio-économie de la recherche scientifique
Revue d'Economie Industrielle. 1997.1996
Diversité, sélection et standardisation : les nouveaux modes de gestion du changement technique
Revue d'Economie Industrielle. 1996. DOI : 10.3406/rei.1996.1619.Technology Infrastructure Policy: An international perspective
Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.Repères pour une économie historique du changement technique
Histoire Quantitative de l'Economie Française. 1996.The Changing Economics of Technological Learning
Wealth from Diversity; Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996. p. 75 - 101.Discovery in the context of application
Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 1996. DOI : 10.1016/S0040-1625(96)00097-2.The knowledge-based economy: from the economics of knowledge to the learning economy
Unemployment and growth in the knowledge-based economy; OCDE, 1996.Technology and the environment: an overview
Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 1996. DOI : 10.1016/0040-1625(95)00064-X.Employment and growth in the knowledge-based economy
Paris: OCDE.Information structure and coordination in technology policy: a theoretical model and two case studies
Journal of Evolutionary Economics. 1996. DOI : 10.1007/BF01202592.1995
Knowledge distribution and the institutional infrastructure: the role of intellectual property rights
Intellectual property rights and global competition; Berlin: WZB Publication, 1995.Dépendance du sentier et économie de l'innovation: un rapide tour d'horizon
Revue d'Economie Industrielle. 1995.Coherence and conflicts between competition, trade and industry policies: the case of telecommunication services
European policies on competition, trade and industry; London: Edward Elgar, 1995.Quandaries in the Economics of Dual Technologies and Spillovers from Military to Civilian Research and Development
Research Policy. 1995. DOI : 10.1016/0048-7333(94)00802-7.Accessing and expanding the science and technology knowledge base
STI Review. 1995.Des fourmis et des hommes: modèles stochastiques d'interactions et rationalité individuelle active en économie du changement technique
Cahiers d'Economie et Sociologie Rurales. 1995.1994
Coalitions and committees: how users get involved in information technology standardization
Standards, Innovation and Competitiveness; Edward Elgar, 1994.Users, standards and the economics of coalition and committees
Information Economics and Policy. 1994. DOI : 10.1016/0167-6245(94)90005-1.Dynamics of competitive technology diffusion through local network structures
Evolutionary Economics and Chaos Theory; Londres: Pinter, 1994.1993
Percolation structures, Markov random fields and the economics of EDI standard diffusion
Global telecommunications strategies and technological changes; North-Holland, 1993.1992
Technologie et Richesse des Nations
Economica.1991
Repères pour une économie des organisations de R&D
Revue d'Economie Politique. 1991.Dynamique économique et nouvelles exigences de l'investigation historique : « learning to love multiple equilibria »
Revue Economique. 1991.1990
L'intégration de la R&D industrielle : nouvelles perspectives d'analyse
Revue Economique. 1990.1985
Innovation majeure et transformation des structures productives : une étude de cas, le procédé de coulée en moule plein en fonderie
Revue Economique. 1985.Research
Research
See the section "current work"
Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Management of Technology