The Network Society (0em15, 6 ects)
Innovations in Networks and Alliance Management (0zm05, 5 ects)
Social Entrepreneurship (0a150, 3 ects)
First Semester 2011/2012
course lecturers: Uwe Matzat, Rudi Bekkers, Gerrit Rooks (0a150 mainly) Chris Snijders (+coordination)
In this course we consider the theory and empirics of innovation and technological change from a network perspective. In what kind of networks can innovation and technological change prosper? The course considers how networks, including personal networks, can hamper or facilitate innovation and technological change, focusing primarily at the meso- and micro level. Innovation processes as well as knowledge and technology spillovers are driven by the interactions between actors such as producers, suppliers, customers, knowledge institutes, and are constrained by institutional arrangements and market structures. Over time, networks between these actors evolve. The shape and structure of these networks affect the ease with which innovation processes and technology spillovers occur and develop.
In this sense, it is not only the characteristics of the actors themselves that drive innovation and technology spillover, but also the way in which the ties between these actors are shaped. The course covers the theories explaining the general effects of networks and applies the theories to several empirical examples, with an emphasis on business networks.
The course follows the schedule outlined below and consists of assignments and an exam at the end. We have tried to be as accurate as possible in the schedule below but some changes might occur based on how the course is evolving along the way.
Literature
Papers, slides and lecture notes as supplied on this page and (occasionally, although we will try to keep this to a minimum) during lectures.
Grading
Assignment(s) and a written
exam, weighed 50% (average of assignments) + 50% (exam). The minimum
for each separate assignment
and the exam must be at least a 4.0.
Being there
Your attendance, attention, and active participation during lectures is much appreciated, and counted on. The material that is being discussed during the lectures is exam material even if not provided on this site.
Please note: presence at the lectures for 0a150 students is mandatory.
Exam material
The exam material consists of all the literature, slides, and the lecture content, except for the papers explicitly marked "extra". So papers that belong to the assignments are also exam material. The exam is paper-and-pencil, no laptop.
What it takes to complete the course will be different for 0em15 vs 0zm05 vs 0a150.
Both 0zm05 and 0em15 have assignments and a written exam. The 0em15 course has an extra assignment, as indicated in the course schedule below. Both 0zm05 and 0em15 have the same exam material though, and that includes the papers on patents that accompanied Bekkers' lectures.
The exam: the first part of the exam will be multiple choice, about 15-20 questions. The second part will be open questions. Part of the open questions can be that you have to manually calculate some network measures on a smaller network (not the hugely complicated network measures, of course). You have 1,5 hour for the exam which we know from experience is usually more than enough.
The 0a150 course participants need to complete assignment 1, and have to attend a separate workshop (see below), and complete the assignments that go with the workshop. Note: attendance is mandatory for the first five lectures and the workshop for the 0a150 students.
Any questions? Give me (CS) an email (please use c.c.p.snijders {at} gmail.com)
Study guide
The table below shows you, on a weekly basis, what you are supposed to do.