Innovation policy governance in Ireland: the problem of coherence in an emerging national innovation system.

Abstract: The implementation of innovation policy in Ireland has been characterised by a failure to achieve coherence and integration across ministerial sectoral interests, despite deliberate attempts to implement such coherence. Possible explanations for this are explored in the paper.

One explanation may be that the failure to develop coherence between policy elements may simply reflect the early stage of development of the Irish NIS; the first policy position paper on science and technology was only issued in 1996 and the first significant investments were announced in 2000 (NDP, 2000). It may be the case that the development of NIS elements needs to precede the development of effective interactions between those elements.

Alternatively the problem may be a particular incidence of a wider problem affecting policy, namely the prevalence within the Irish policy system of a culture of strong ministerial autonomy. There is little evidence of effective coordination in the pursuit of other, non-innovation related, cross-cutting policy issues.

Finally it will be argued that the innovation agenda has failed to gain wider support within government and society. This lack of a shared understanding of the priority for continued economic growth and the costs of failure mean there is no political imperative for a coherent and integrated approach to developing the Irish NIS.

Related Priority Research Area: Industry Clustering

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