This book is concerned with what I call common innovation, how it differs from business innovation, and why common innovation may have certain advantages over business innovation. Common
innovation is carried out by ‘the common man and woman’ for their own benefit. It mostly takes place outside the domain of business, the professions or government. It
often involves ordinary and unexceptional activity. Here, the
interests of the innovator and the end-user of the innovations are
usually the same. For the most part,
economists who study innovation actually study business innovation. This is a professional activity carried out by specialists in the business sector. It is
often expensive because it involves making unusual, and sometimes exceptional,
advances. And, in the case of business innovation, the interests of the innovator and the end-user of the innovations are often quite different.
|
|
