Institucionalismo econômico e políticas de incentivo à inovação no contexto das incubadoras tecnológicas no Rio Grande do Sul.

Abstract

Institutions play a key role in the process of technological innovation, because they are the rules. In this sense, discussing theoretical and analytical elements based on institutionalism is important to the understanding of economic development. Thus, this study starts by considering the institutions based on the New Institutional Economy (NIE). For that, the process of development of Gaucho incubators of technological innovation from 1990 to 2015 was analysed, to understand the process of continuity or rupture, and of the autonomy of the reproduction of patterns of dependence of the public policies supporting this sector. Thus, the study is justified by the need of knowing the perspectives of formal and informal institutions that resemble a mechanism that defines behaviour patterns or strategic actions. Methodologically, bibliographical references pertinent to the topic were used, documental analysis, interviews with seven organizations involved in the promotion of technological innovation, as well as nine technology-based incubators in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Additionally, the study was based on experiences in Portugal, in the Algarve region, which contributed to the understanding of public policies to stimulate technological innovation, based on the perception of organizations in the Portuguese region concerned with the promotion of technological innovation. Five companies and two technology-based incubators in this region were also researched, to verify how public policies, which stimulate technological innovation in the context of their development, are conducted there. The choice of Portugal / Algarve region and Brazil / Rio Grande do Sul was because both countries had severe economic crises and they needed to find alternatives to face this reality. The results obtained pointed to the continuity of patterns of path dependence, constituting this dependence on a set of interconnected factors, such as: the economic issues that generate the dependence and the economic trajectory, initially, being the main hypothesis, as well as the formulation and the implementation of policies of incentive for innovation in the educational system. Also, during the study, it was identified that education is relevant, not only in the constitution of a policy to encourage technological innovation, but also for its maintenance.