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Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 31242

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 10561 Athens, Greece
Interests: economic development; economic growth; sustainable development; economic policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece
Interests: economics analysis; economic development; economic growth; applied economics; economic policy analysis; European Union; European integration; cultural economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Differences among countries in terms of levels of technological development and investment capacity largely stem from the society’s dominant cultural background. A significant requirement for societies and economies to move toward innovative activities is a more favorable environment (culture) that promotes the free exchange of ideas among members of society. The grid of values in a society plays a special role in motivating and encouraging its members to innovate. Due to the fact that innovation is a complex process that involves learning and developing new ideas, culture is integral to innovation. An effective way of keeping enterprises and organizations competitive is by developing an entrepreneurial culture that boosts innovative activity and thus maintains competitive advantage. Thus, culture should be considered a strategic instrument for achieving competitive advantage through innovation. Culture encourages innovation and creativity and motivates individuals or groups to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality theoretical or empirical research papers that are going to explore the cultural dynamics that affect the innovation performance of the economies. The scope is to highlight the direct and indirect channels through which the cultural dynamics lead to innovation outcomes and identify other factors that may intervene in this process. International or country-specific research is welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Panagiotis E. Petrakis
Dr. Pantelis C. Kostis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • innovation performance
  • cultural background
  • social capital
  • cultural change

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1087 KiB  
Article
Democracy and the Environment: How Political Freedom Is Linked with Environmental Sustainability
by Elias G. Carayannis, David F. J. Campbell and Evangelos Grigoroudis
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5522; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105522 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5362
Abstract
This paper aims to explore a possible relationship between democracy and the environment, more specifically between freedom and environmental sustainability (environmental performance). The conceptual lenses of the Quadruple and Quintuple Innovation Helix Frameworks were used as they emphasize the importance of democracy and [...] Read more.
This paper aims to explore a possible relationship between democracy and the environment, more specifically between freedom and environmental sustainability (environmental performance). The conceptual lenses of the Quadruple and Quintuple Innovation Helix Frameworks were used as they emphasize the importance of democracy and ecology (environmental sustainability) for knowledge and innovation and vice versa. The empirical model focused on the following research question: What is the correlation between political freedom and environmental performance? In essence, all countries in the world with a population of one million or more were included (a total of 156 countries), and the reference year was 2016. The empirical outcome of the correlation analysis was a positive Pearson correlation of about 0.56 (or 0.73 if we examine regional country groups), and, perhaps even more significantly, this correlation was significant at the 0.001 level (two-tailed). The correlation results lend themselves to the following interpretation: The higher the political freedom in a country, the more likely it is to have a higher environmental performance. Similarly, the lower the political freedom in a country, the more likely it is to have a lower environmental performance. As a preliminary proposition, therefore, democracy, environmental sustainability, and innovation-driven knowledge economies may have a highly symbiotic and synergistic dynamic and non-linear relationship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance)
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21 pages, 1728 KiB  
Article
Challenges for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Latin America: The Significance of Institutions and Human Capital
by Laura Zapata-Cantu and Fernando González
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 4077; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074077 - 6 Apr 2021
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5559
Abstract
Sustainable development is considered as one of the vital challenges of the 21st century for humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic and social life, forcing governments and businesses to reconsider their priorities. There are rare empirical studies on the national innovation system [...] Read more.
Sustainable development is considered as one of the vital challenges of the 21st century for humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic and social life, forcing governments and businesses to reconsider their priorities. There are rare empirical studies on the national innovation system and its relationship to sustainability development for emerging countries. This paper aims at shedding light on how mission-oriented policies have marked sustainable regional development and innovation in Latin America. The present study presents the capabilities that could support the improvement of the national innovation system and, as a consequence, sustainability development. To understand how Latin American countries act on innovation and sustainable development initiatives, two global rankings in these areas, The Global Innovation Index 2020 and The Sustainable Development Report 2020, were analyzed. The results indicate some obstacles must be overcome such as the high levels of social inequality and poverty that still constitute significant challenges for this region. Today’s biggest challenges are facing a pandemic situation and guaranteeing economic development that allows the underprivileged to escape poverty without dooming future generations to an even more degraded environment than the current one. Innovation continues to play a critical role in the transition toward a more sustainable world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance)
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15 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Τhe Sustainability of Creativity
by Anna-Maria Kanzola and Panagiotis E. Petrakis
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2776; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052776 - 4 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3332
Abstract
Creativity is a critical element of sustainable development. In current paper it is described through Social Identity by identifying the main factors that shape the background of creativity. We conclude that health, maturity, and positive attitudes of cultural change as well as the [...] Read more.
Creativity is a critical element of sustainable development. In current paper it is described through Social Identity by identifying the main factors that shape the background of creativity. We conclude that health, maturity, and positive attitudes of cultural change as well as the social stability, the environmental care and finally, the incentives, material and non-material, shape the human creative dynamism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance)
16 pages, 256 KiB  
Article
History, Knowledge, and Sustainable Economic Development: The Contribution of John Stuart Mill’s Grand Stage Theory
by Giorgos Meramveliotakis and Manolis Manioudis
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1468; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031468 - 31 Jan 2021
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 4820
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to sketch out the idea for a grand theory in development studies as the necessary research field for fruitful historical interdisciplinary, arguing that Mill’s stage theory provides such a powerful theoretical framework able to contextualize, develop, and [...] Read more.
The aim of this paper is to sketch out the idea for a grand theory in development studies as the necessary research field for fruitful historical interdisciplinary, arguing that Mill’s stage theory provides such a powerful theoretical framework able to contextualize, develop, and integrate the multiple, diverse, and middle-range contemporary strands in development studies. Second, an attempt is made to reconstitute Mill’s stages theory of economic development placing it at the center of his political economy. We claim that Mill’s theory of economic development implies that the dialectical relation between knowledge/innovation (human capital) and nature (natural capital) accelerates the course of economic change. In Mill’s analysis, the dialectical relation between knowledge and nature penetrates through culture, which is regarded by Mill as a structural element of each stage of economic development. By highlighting the importance of knowledge in the transition between different stages of economic development, and by proposing a reassessed interpretation of Mill’s stages theory of economic development, we propose that in Mill’s political economy both innovation and nature play a pivotal role in accessing sustainable economic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance)
20 pages, 694 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Social and Cultural Norms, Government Programs and Digitalization as Entrepreneurial Environment Factors on Job and Career Satisfaction of Freelancers
by Ivona Huđek, Polona Tominc and Karin Širec
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020779 - 14 Jan 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6752
Abstract
At the end of the last century, digital technology emergence enabled millions of people to compete globally by remotely offering their knowledge and skills. In addition, business processes are becoming fragmented into smaller components, so-called short-term projects. These work arrangements are often carried [...] Read more.
At the end of the last century, digital technology emergence enabled millions of people to compete globally by remotely offering their knowledge and skills. In addition, business processes are becoming fragmented into smaller components, so-called short-term projects. These work arrangements are often carried out by so-called independent professionals (contractors), better known as freelancers. A literature review has shown that the research topic of freelancing from an entrepreneurial perspective is relatively new and has its assumptions and gaps. Different stakeholders and institutions connect, mediate and manage the services of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to support entrepreneurs. As freelancers belong to the self-employed entrepreneurial category, they are engaged in business activities and need support from their environment. To contribute to this topic, we have analyzed the relationships between freelancers’ job and career satisfaction, digitalization and entrepreneurial ecosystem factors, with the aim of making policy recommendations. Regarding the entrepreneurial environment, we analyzed the cultural and social norms and government programs that provide support, based on the measurement instrument, developed in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research. We surveyed 200 freelancers (respondents) in Slovenia. Using factor analysis and structural equation modelling, the empirical results suggest that digitalization and cultural and social norms are significant factors that promote the success of new careers as freelancers in terms of job and career satisfaction. The results show that both positively influence job and career satisfaction, while government programs indirectly influence the job and career satisfaction of freelancers. This explains how the entrepreneurial ecosystem, plays a special role in supporting freelancers on their career path. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Dynamic and Innovation Performance)
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