Social Topography for Sustainable Innovation Policy: Putting Institutions, Social Networks and Cognitive Frames in Their Place

Building upon social fields theory, the authors analyze the impact of the three social forces – institutions, social networks and cognitive frames – on the social topography of regional innovation systems. Unlike previous studies, which focused on individual social force, the authors’ fuzzy-set comparative analysis of fifteen diverse regions from four continents reveals nuanced impact of individual forces and shows that a well-functioning regional innovation system is the outcome of their combined influence. This implies a need for a coherent, reflexive, context-specific and multi-level innovation policy that supports the balanced development of an institutional framework, encourages the formation of social networks and enables supportive cognitive frames.