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For too long the prevalent view has been that the public and private sectors differ dramatically when it comes to innovation. This book takes a radically different tack, not as a rhetorical stance, but as the basis for fruitful empirical analysis. The studies here show that public service organizations and their leaders can be innovative in their own right. The contributions made here provide insights that will productively inform future research and practice. Ian Miles, University of Manchester, UK This book is devoted to the study of public-private innovation networks in services (ServPPINs). These are a new type of innovation network which have rapidly developed in service economies. ServPPINs are collaborations between public and private service organizations, their objective being the development of new and improved services which encompass both technological and non-technological innovations. The book presents in-depth empirical research from different service sectors across Europe in order to explore the nature of these publicprivate collaborations. It elucidates the processes of formation, entrepreneurship and management, the types of innovations ServPPINs generate, and the nature of the public policies required to support them. This multidisciplinary book will appeal to academics and students in economics, management, and the sociology of services and innovation. Managers in the public and private service sector and public authorities will also find much to interest them.

Service industries --- Technological innovations --- Public-private sector cooperation --- Public economics --- Business policy --- Firms and enterprises

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Ecuador is one of the least diversified countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, depending heavily on oil and agriculture. This policy paper examines how services and innovation can play a role in transforming the Ecuadorian economy from one based on natural resources to one based on knowledge and services. The paper assesses the performance of the services sector and its contribution to other sectors. The paper shows that services make a significant contribution to the country's economic growth (albeit below the average for the region). However, the services sector in Ecuador performs poorly in productivity and trade competitiveness. Further, services do not add enough value for export providers and users over time. The deficit in the integration of business services, especially knowledge-intensive business services, is particularly high, affecting the competiveness of all sectors and their value chains. Among the drivers of productivity and competitiveness, innovation is the key quality and differentiation factor (as distinguished from price-related, regulatory, and competition factors). Innovation in Ecuadorian services firms does not significantly affect performance (for example, sales and exports), although innovation in manufacturing does improve the performance of manufacturing firms. Finally, the paper provides some conclusions and meaningful crosscutting policy recommendations for a services-related policy aimed at fostering competitiveness and innovation. Services need action in innovation policy (innovation programs could be better adapted to services innovation specificities), but also in areas such as coordination at the institutional level; internationalization and foreign direct investment; and quality, regulatory, and competition issues affecting the investment climate.

Competitiveness --- Innovation --- Services --- Trade