Expanding the Comprehension of Innovation Ecosystems using the Institutional Grammar: A Case Study in Heilbronn

Abstract

Innovation ecosystems have become a prominent topic in economics over the last few years. The field of innovation ecosystems aims to examine the dynamics of actors, actions, and elements, as well as the institutions and connections that hold significance for innovative achievements and the new value generation through innovation from an individual or a group of individuals. Recent research has advocated for a more contextually informed exploration of ecosystems and their actual manifestations to foster a deeper understanding of the interaction between processes and their evolving nature. In this sense, this investigation looks to expand the comprehension of Innovation ecosystems using the Institutional Grammar method to analyze different institutions that govern and constrain the behavior of the actors. Furthermore, this study seeks to bring insights into the value of the grammar of institutions for studying, for instance, innovation ecosystem programs. The method will be applied in one of the most innovative regions in Germany: Heilbronn. The goal is to increase our understanding of the interplay of institutions and extend our knowledge of institutional design and evaluation of innovation ecosystems. The implications are to promote institutional research using the Institutional Grammar perspective and provide recommendations for improving innovation ecosystem dynamics.