Evaluation of Canadian innovation policy: locating innovation policy among other policies

Abstract

The objective of government innovation policy is to improve the living standards and prosperity of citizens through boosting innovation and productivity. In order to succeed, innovation policy needs to address the overall innovation climate, which goes beyond traditional science and technology policy, and utilise various economic and social policies. Specifically, the success of innovation policy depends on its relationship and coordination with other government economic and social policies. Considering the low performance of Canadian innovation policies in the past, this study reviews and evaluates the innovation policies of the Canadian federal government since 1963 with respect to the best practices suggested in the literature. The focus of the paper is whether the relationships between innovation policy and other economic and social policies are taken into account in the development of federal government innovation policies, and whether the government moves beyond science and technology policy in the design of innovation policy.