Theoretical and Practical Issues of Innovation Research: Social Innovation in Hungary

Abstract

In recent decades, innovation research has played an important role in exploring the drivers of local and regional economic development. Nowadays, it is part of the generally accepted scientific canon that various forms of innovation (technological, business and social innovation) play a defining role in the economic development and competitiveness of cities, regions and countries. The context above points out that innovation is an important factor in the spatiality of society, but at the same time geography, more precisely geographical distance or proximity, is a determining element of innovation. In the present study, we provide an overview of the latest theoretical and empirical research developments in the “geography of innovation”, more precisely in the “geography of social innovation”, with application in Hungary. Keywords: social innovation, social innovation geography, regional development, geographical proximity

Spatial Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals

“…The above territorial pattern of sustainability is not surprising, especially if we take into account the fact that most of the goals and indicators that make up the Sustainability index belong to the economic dimension of sustainability. However, it is known from previous research that there is a territorial distribution in terms of economic performance, competitiveness and innovation along a typically west-to- (Benedek, 2006;Benedek, 2015;Benedek et al, 2016;Benedek & Lelmcke, 2017, Cebotari & Benedek, 2017Benedek et al, 2018;Benedek et al, 2020;Benedek, 2021).…”

“…Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable development Solutions Network (SdSN), New York. Online: http://www.sdgindex.org/ Szavics, P., Benedek, J. (2020)…”