Innovation, Democracy and Efficiency / Palgrave Advances in Regional and Urban Economics (PDF)

Francesco Grillo is advisor to Italy's Minister for Education, Universities and Research on national innovation policies and is affiliated with the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. He obtained his PhD in Political Economy at the London School of Economics, UK. He is Managing Director of Vision & Value (consulting firm), and advises the European Commission on innovation and smart specialization. Grillo is a regular contributor on Italy and Europe for the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Raffaella Y. Nanetti is Professor Emerita of Urban Planning and Policy in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA, and part of the core team of the Economic and Social Cohesion Laboratory in London, UK. She is an Associate of Italy's National Research Council (CNR) in Rome. Her main research areas are policy and programme evaluation, research design and methodology, and territorial development policies. She has directed community development studies and territorial assessment projects, sponsored among others by the European Union and the World Bank.

Newspaper reading is in decline, but people are more informed. Revolutions are led through Facebook. Citizens and stakeholders in the EU regions also demand to be part of the conversation when shaping the future. To find out how this works, read Grillo and Nanetti's thought provoking insight on democratic participation in setting EU innovation policies in this new brave world.'
– Professor Birgitte Andersen, CEO and CoCreator, Big Innovation Centre, London, UK

'There is a direct link between the quality of a democracy and its ability to innovate. In this book Francesco Grillo and Raffaella Y. Nanetti analyse the complexity of such a link. As a result, they offer to governments, academics and innovators a clear model of how a coherent innovation system should work in the era of interdependence. Their work is inspirational for policy makers in Italy and Europe.'
– Stefania Giannini, Minister of Education, Universities and Research, Italy

'A must read for all academics and policy makers interested in understanding the relevance and defining features of successful innovation policies in today's globally interdependent economy under the accelerating pace of technological change.'
– Mikel Landabaso, Acting Director Directorate H, Inclusive Growth, Urban and Territorial Development and Northern Europe, Regional Policy, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium

'In this very useful book Francesco Grillo and Raffaella Y. Nanetti recognize that innovation is as much a political and institutional project as a technical one. Would-be innovators – and the local, national or regional policy makers who want to help them – ignore this insight at their peril. Political coalitions, leadership and institutional design matter, as Grillo and Nanetti show through well-selected case studies.'
– Ernest Wilson, Dean and Walter Annenberg Chair in Communication, University of Southern California, USA