A complexity approach to innovation networks : the case of the aircraft industry (1909-1997)

Successful innovation depends on complementary competencies in networks of producers, users, and governmental bodies. The effects of complementarities within innovation networks are modeled using Kauffman's NK-model. From the model, the hypothesis is derived that producers, users, and governments self-organize in specialized innovation networks: producers of particular technologies increasingly focus on particular user markets in particular countries. Data on 863 aircraft models (1909–1997) show these strong specialization patterns in the post-war period. Policy implications are indicated emphasizing the recent rise in transnational collaborations, which can be understood as a means of escaping historical specialization patterns.