ABSTRACT

The new information age and the phenomena of digitalization and automation make investments in research and development (R&D) indispensable for economic and social progress. Meanwhile, increased inequality within countries and its effects on advanced countries is one of the consequences of the recent turbulences in the global economy. These two dynamics open debates around the still-unresolved nature of the relationship between innovation and inequality. This paper contrasts postulates from the existing theory and relevant empirical evidence to argue that the analysis of the positive and complex co-evolution of inequality reduction and technological progress in Europe implies a recombination of factors that highlights institutions as the backbone of the relationship. The results of this analysis based on time series / cross-section regressions with panel data from a sample of 20 European countries for the period 1995–2017 show the relevance of structural and institutional aspects within the region, while two sets of countries evince a dissimilar European behavior in the relationship under study. According to our findings, it is plausible to argue the existence of a virtuous circle defined by the combination of social protection contributions with innovation policies that certainly help settle the controversial relationship between innovation and inequality.

摘要

新的信息时代以及数字化和自动化现象使得研发投资对经济和社会进步不可或缺。与此同时，国家内部不平等的加剧及其对发达国家的影响是近期全球经济动荡的后果之一。这两种动力引发了围绕创新与不平等之间关系的仍未解决的本质的辩论。本文对比来自现有理论和相关经验证据的假设，认为对欧洲不平等减少和技术进步的积极和复杂的共同演化的分析意味着重新组合强调制度作为关系支柱的因素。该分析基于时间序列/横截面回归以及 1995 年至 2017 年期间 20 个欧洲国家样本的面板数据，结果显示了该地区结构和制度方面的相关性，而两组国家表现出不同正在研究的关系中的欧洲行为。根据我们的研究结果，认为社会保护贡献与创新政策相结合所定义的良性循环的存在是合理的，这肯定有助于解决创新与不平等之间有争议的关系。