A Novel way of measuring regional systems of innovatios:: factor analysis as a methodological approach

Abstract

Este articulo de trabajo trata de los problemas que surgen al medir un fenomeno tan complejo como lo es un sistema de innovacion, ofreciendo una nueva aproximacion empirica para medir sistemas regionales de innovacion. La teoria evolutiva del cambio tecnologico muestra la complejidad de los sistemas de innovacion y llega a la conclusion de que indicadores individuales no son el camino idoneo para valorar dichos sistemas. Por tanto nosotros defendemos el uso de un amplio numero de variables y el uso de la Tecnica de Analisis del Factor para simplificar la informacion de esas variables convirtiendolas en unas pocas hipoteticas no observables, denominados factores. Cada una de esas nuevas variables sinteticas incluye un juego de variables correlacionadas que juntas reflejan algunos aspectos especificos del sistema de innovacion manifestando de mejor manera la realidad de estos sistemas que mediante indicadores individuales. ABSTRACT This working paper deals with the problems in measuring such a complex phenomenon as an innovation system, offering a new empirical approach for measuring regional innovation systems. The evolutionary theory on technological change shows the complexity of the innovation systems which leads to the conclusion that individual indicators are not the optimum way to value such systems. Therefore we defend the use of a broad number of variables and the use of the Factor Analysis Technique to reduce the information of those variables converting them into a few non-observable hypothetical ones, called factors. Each of those new synthetic variables includes a set of correlated variables that reflects together some specific aspect of the innovation system. These factors reflect better the reality of those systems than each of the individual indicators could do on its own.