This article examines whether Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) mitigate or intensify inequalities in the geography of state aid across European Union (EU) Member States. It provides the first systematic empirical assessment of IPCEI distribution across all initiatives approved up to 2025. Integrating core-periphery dynamics with state capacity, strategic coupling in European value chains and path dependence, it argues that IPCEIs create upgrading opportunities only where sectoral alignment and administrative capabilities jointly meet demanding project requirements. The analysis shows that absolute IPCEI support is heavily concentrated in core economies, while several peripheral and semi-peripheral countries display disproportionate commitment intensity relative to their overall state aid. Participation does not map onto a simple core-periphery rift; instead, a multi-tier structure is emerging as a subset of lower-capacity states remains consistently excluded. Overall, IPCEIs operate as selective levelling mechanisms: they can enable peripheral upgrading under specific conditions while simultaneously reinforcing stratification in EU industrial policy governance, such that core dominance is not incidental but structurally embedded in how the instrument operates.

Water governance faces compounding pressures from climate variability, ageing infrastructure, and rising demand for environmental performance. The knowledge base that informs governance responses, the body of expertise that policy instruments mobilise, has not been mapped systematically across decades. The object of analysis here is precisely that knowledge base, not policy capacity itself: we characterise the body of scientific and engineering expertise on which governance choices can draw. We analyse 11 186 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Web of Science (1980–2024) drawn from six structured queries covering treatment, recharge, contaminant control, biological reactors, resource recovery, and sensing methods. Latent Dirichlet Allocation identifies six thematic streams; Hirschman-Herfindahl and Revealed Technological Advantage indices trace concentration over time and national specialisation. Treatment-process engineering remains the mainstream, but the field has diversified since 2018, with contaminant control and sensing-and-detection methods growing fastest, while resource-recovery knowledge, the core of the circular-economy transition, grows slowest and loses share. National portfolios track regulatory context and hydrological exposure. The paper provides a full field-level cartography that complements extant frameworks and shows that the knowledge base for circular water governance is broadening, while the institutional toolkit for steering the transition remains incomplete.

Between 2010 and 2023, the United Kingdom's broadband state-aid regime evolved from a decentralised delivery model led by local authorities to a centralised framework under Building Digital UK (BDUK) and Project Gigabit. Using historical institutionalism, multi-level governance, and Bayesian process tracing, this article analyses the political and institutional drivers of this shift. It tests three hypotheses: governance performance failure, political leadership and credit-seeking, and institutional opportunity. Drawing on National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports, Ofcom data, Parliamentary debates, and departmental documents, the study finds that centralisation stemmed from inefficiencies and capacity limits in local delivery, combined with political incentives to accelerate progress and claim credit. Post-Brexit subsidy control autonomy and administrative reforms facilitated the change. The article shows how layering and conversion produced de facto governance displacement, raising normative questions on the trade-off between central efficiency and local autonomy. 2010(sic)(sic)2023(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)"(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)"(BDUK)(sic)"(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)"(Project Gigabit)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic):(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(Ofcom)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic). Entre 2010 y 2023, el r & eacute;gimen de ayudas estatales a la banda ancha del Reino Unido evolucion & oacute; de un modelo de prestaci & oacute;n descentralizado liderado por las autoridades locales a un marco centralizado bajo el programa Building Digital UK (BDUK) y el Proyecto Gigabit. Mediante el institucionalismo hist & oacute;rico, la gobernanza multinivel y el an & aacute;lisis bayesiano de procesos, este art & iacute;culo analiza los factores pol & iacute;ticos e institucionales que impulsaron este cambio. Se ponen a prueba tres hip & oacute;tesis: fallos en el desempe & ntilde;o de la gobernanza, liderazgo pol & iacute;tico y b & uacute;squeda de reconocimiento, y oportunidad institucional. A partir de informes de la Oficina Nacional de Auditor & iacute;a y del Comit & eacute; de Cuentas P & uacute;blicas, datos de Ofcom, debates parlamentarios y documentos departamentales, el estudio concluye que la centralizaci & oacute;n se origin & oacute; en ineficiencias y limitaciones de capacidad en la prestaci & oacute;n local, combinadas con incentivos pol & iacute;ticos para acelerar el progreso y atribuirse el m & eacute;rito. La autonom & iacute;a en el control de las subvenciones tras el Brexit y las reformas administrativas facilitaron el cambio. El art & iacute;culo muestra c & oacute;mo la estratificaci & oacute;n y la conversi & oacute;n produjeron un desplazamiento de facto de la gobernanza, planteando interrogantes normativos sobre la disyuntiva entre la eficiencia central y la autonom & iacute;a local.

This article explores how historical legacies and institutional configurations impact the governance models used in implementing State aid policies for broadband in France, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The analysis is based on historical institutionalism, focusing on path dependence, critical junctures, and gradual institutional change. A comparative historical approach shows different governance models evolving due to administrative traditions and political factors. France and the United Kingdom have evolved toward decentralized models, which capitalize on institutional flexibility and strategic reforms. Conversely, Portugal and Spain face limitations from centralized structures and institutional inertia. This study elucidates the relationship between institutional structures and policy outcomes, providing policymakers with insights for addressing digital access disparities. These findings contribute to the public administration literature, emphasizing the role of timing, sequencing, and coordination in the design of effective governance frameworks and preparing for emerging challenges (such as 5G deployment) where State aid will be needed.

Investing in research is an essential element in any business model in the digital age. At the forefront of this approach to innovation are digital platforms, which have resources and development strategies that enable them to enter and transform many markets outside their core activities. This work assembles a wealth of evidence to show that the omnipresence of Big Tech has now reached the science & technology sector in a significant way. We analyse the publication growth, influence, themes and partnership profiles of Big Tech (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft). In a process that came alive in the 2000s, it is by the 2010s that these giant US-based ICT-services companies move fast and publish things. They show strong dynamic capabilities in "Physical Sciences" and "Computer Science". Co-authorships reveal links to American universities, mostly in California. Internationally, there is a strong preference for research collaboration with China, with the UK coming second. Results provide a better appreciation of Big Tech's multidimensional footprint and how the science & technology ecosystem is evolving and causing new policy pressures in the 21st century.

The Oslo Manual is the internationally recognized reference for guiding the collection and interpretation of evidence on innovation. This research explores its three-decade-long implementation and influence, emphasizing its role within the research community. We assess the content’s quantity and quality through an advanced bibliometric and textmetric analysis of over 1300 research papers published in internationally indexed journals. Our study offers an evidence-based understanding of the Oslo Manual’s adoption and impact, elucidating disciplinary integration, geographical interest, and reception phases. Notably, the findings unveil the increasing significance of innovation-related topics since its inaugural edition in 1992, with a pronounced surge gaining momentum after 2008. Furthermore, the consistently cited references underscore the researchers’ focus, highlighting the rising importance of innovation and interconnected domains like entrepreneurship, performance, knowledge, and management. This study enhances our understanding of the Oslo Manual’s use and influence, revealing its enduring relevance and its broader impact on shaping innovation research.

This study sheds light on the diffusion of knowledge production as an institutional norm among central, development, and investment banks. It builds on an original database of 24,435 peer-reviewed scientific items published by a pool of 237 central banks, development banks, and investment banks from 1966 to 2023. The focus is on their interactive dynamics, analysed through a two-fold approach: Granger-Causality analysis for linear relationships and a multivariate Markov chain approach for non-linear interactions. Central banks emerge as leaders in scientific production, influencing development and investment banks. Results lead to further questions about inter-institutional agenda-setting, such as how central banks shape research priorities, the extent to which their intellectual leadership impacts others' priorities, and the mechanisms through which institutional norms are diffused and reinforced within the global financial and policymaking landscape.

The economics and strategy literature is a useful resource for professionals and policy-makers involved in patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights (IPRs). Understanding how this knowledge accumulates is crucial for identifying, analyzing, evaluating, anticipating, and managing intangible assets. The role of IPR seems to be a touchstone for decision-makers as IPRs stand in the middle of micro and macro perspectives. Notwithstanding, it remains unclear how IPRs are interpreted differently across communities. This paper uses bibliographic data to identify, classify and assess research documents around IPR topics from the Economics discipline and from the Strategic perspective. For this, we investigate the trajectories of IPR-related research in the top-10 journals of both economic science and business strategy. Evidence shows new contributions have trended upwards at similar rates in both disciplinary realms. The stylised facts uncovered may be of use to leaders and experts in IPR offices who need to be up-to-date with the scientific literature but want to build panoramic awareness and retain critical insight.

The "Network Society" is an analytical concept developed by Manuel Castells to describe anew form of societal organization underpinned by microelectronics and based on information flows. Since it was introduced in the 1990s, this key contribution to social theory has framed much of academic research and policy-relevant worldviews when it comes to understanding contemporary digital ways. By quantitatively exploring the impact of his contributions, this study inquires into how Castells'concept was received by scientific communities publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals. Through a comprehensive and integrative bibliometric analysis, the findings reveal a three-phase build-up process of appropriation and highlight how the concept was predominantly exploited in the domains of Communication and Sociology, with an emphasis on connectivity and its implications for governance and policymaking, particularly in Western countries. There is evidence of its adaptability in capturing the evolving opportunities and challenges of the digital era

Editors are journals’ entrepreneurs, managers, and stewards. They have the duty of holding high standards of scholarly quality in terms of end product (articles) and due process (adequate peer-review procedures). Given the importance of journals in the contemporary science “ecosystem,” editors emerge as decisive power brokers. Elite board members are scrutinizers but, paradoxically, they are themselves seldom subject to systematic study. This paper presents a comprehensive portrait of the editorship phenomenon in Innovation Studies by probing the structural features of the boards of 20 leading innovation-oriented journals as of 2019 and conducting an editor survey. We account for 2,440 individual editors in 3,005 different roles based in 53 countries. We uncover the overwhelming dominance of U.S.-affiliated editors and the contrasting rare presence of scholars from the Global South. The gender balance tilts toward men, with a weight above 60%. Enhanced journal achievement is associated with editors on multiple boards, diverse national representation, and increased women on boards. Almost 20% of scholars serve on multiple boards, and no single journal is free from this interlocking editorship phenomenon. The journal Research Policy is the most central in the cross-board network, followed by Industrial and Corporate Change. Finally, the implications of editormetrics for journal governance are discussed.

This paper examines the governance models of State aid measures for broadband network deployment in European Union Member States. The research is based on 199 decision letters collected from the European Commission's competition cases database, published between 2003 and 2023. Deploying a theory-driven content analysis approach, the analysis reveals and categorises a variety of governance models. These models vary regarding the authority responsible for the decision-making and, in the case of national schemes, the authority responsible for the implementation, including centralised and decentralised arrangements. Different legacies and institutional set-ups explain the governance models, including the typology of state structures, the constitutional powers, the traditions of participation in the telecommunication sector, policy diffusion and regional development. There are several possible pathways to a gradual transition from one model to another. The design of flexible national schemes, which offer subnational authorities the option to implement them in their regions or to rely on central management agencies for specific tasks adapted to their interests, resources and capacities, could be the optimal solution to prevent the launch of ad hoc measures by subnational authorities and to adapt to different institutional arrangements.

What happens when actors and sectors incorporate references to specific territories in their development efforts? Throughout history, producers have capitalised individually and collectively on place associations through mechanisms such as product marketing and cultural framing in order to protect investments and promote internationalisation efforts. This contribution explores the agenda-setting power of the concept of 'place-based intangibles': assets with qualities of intangibles but intricately tied to specific geographical commons. After defining the concept, we overview the key substantive topics, innovative approaches and policy puzzles in three thematic areas of research: (1) regional strategies to build place-based intangibles; (2) place-based intangibles and regional development; and (3) place-based intangibles and corporate strategies. We conclude by discussing the prospects set forth by the assemblage of fresh papers included in this special issue, which this paper also introduces, and put forward the implications of place-based intangibles for policymakers, businesses and scholars.

The development of battery technologies is critical for energy transition strategies. This paper offers a comprehensive assessment of the trends and developments of battery innovation. Over 700,000 patents from the period of 2005-2019 are compiled and analyzed. Leading patent applicants and countries of origin are identified. Major patent applicants are mostly large East Asian companies, while Japan and South Korea are the leading countries followed by the US, Germany, and China. Different battery designs, the main battery components, and interactions with other clean technologies are examined. Based on the operative definitions for incremental/radical and product/process innovations, a battery innovation typology is set forth. The main findings are that patenting in batteries rises robustly and the lithium-ion battery is the most vibrant technology; lithium-sulfur and flow batteries are the most notable emerging technologies, while electrodes are the most salient battery component. The most significant interactions of batteries with clean energy technologies are between battery charging and photovoltaic energy as well as between battery charging and electric vehicles. Incremental innovation represents more than half of the patents, while product innovation represents approximately 70% of the total patents. This study presents findings that could be useful when making investment decisions on the development of battery and auxiliary low-carbon energy technologies.

Institutional collaboration between universities and other actors is crucial to generate new knowledge and for advancing innovation. But, how important is this for the healthcare sector? This work analyses 441 institutional collaborations between Portuguese Medical Schools and other entities (pharmaceutical industry, funding organisations, hospitals, other universities, non-profit organisations, other private for-profit organisations, public bodies and public research organisations). We identify, validate, disambiguate, classify and analyse evidence available from a variety of sources. Our original database reveals that most of the partnerships of Portuguese Medical Schools are with academic institutions. A sectoral failure regarding partnerships with other type of actors (e.g. industry, other research organisations) is suggested. As for future policy objectives, we argue that a systems building view could be considered.