Richard Hawkins, Knut Blind, Robert Page (eds.), Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham, UK, 2017, 456 p., hardcover, GBP 140.00, ISBN 978-1-78347-007-5, ebook, ISBN: 978-1-78347-008-2
Innovation and standardisation might seem polar opposites, but over many years various scholars have noted close connections between the two. The Handbook of Innovation and Standards assembles a broad range of thinking on this subject, with contributions from several disciplinary perspectives by leading scholars and experienced practitioners. Collectively, they summarise and synthesise the existing body of knowledge – theory and evidence – pertaining to standards and innovation, and provide insights into how this knowledge can be useful to scholars, industrial strategists, policy-makers, and standards practitioners.
By situating standards and standardisation as specific factors which play distinctive roles in innovation-driven growth, it establishes that standardisation (doing things the same way) is an essential component of innovation (doing things differently). The book also provides practical insight into how standards are incorporated into innovation strategies and policies. Contributions from different perspectives by more than 30 scientists and practitioners provide an overview to this subject in 20 chapters, which are divided into four parts.